Worshippers of insanity
by Weiila
Summary: Sequel to Gogo's Secret Another face. Things have been peaceful and everybody including himself have accepted Gogo as a friend, despite who he is. However, the people admiring Kefka wish to avenge their fallen god and try to revive him. SabinTerra.
1. Prologue

The sequel to Gogo's secret; Another face. I recommend you read that first so that you know the connection between the mimic and Kefka. Hehehe…

Worshippers of insanity

The problem with followers is that they stay, like viruses, even if their leader dies. We have seen that many times in our own world. It might be a good thing, but it might as well be a bad thing. It all depends on the cause.

Prologue 

Shadow crawled over the thin ledge, gritting his teeth in pain. 

    Damn, damn, damn… 

    He shouldn't have fallen in such a trap! He should have seen the accursed holes in the wall before they shot their spikes, he shouldn't have trampled on the trigger! But these people had been prepared for someone like him, placing the traps where a professional could fall into them. He had been a fool. 

    They were probably tracking him by the blood, but he couldn't do anything about it. He could only pray for that Interceptor had managed to escape with the note. 

    Pray? Pha… it had been very long ago he'd done that last. But right now it felt like a good idea. He couldn't do much else. 

    Just a little bit longer… you can do it… don't think about the pain, think of Salea, think of Relm, think of Interceptor, think of Baram … think of Terra, Gogo, Edgar… all those people who actually have the nerve to care about you!  

    Damn, damn… he couldn't die here, like a trapped rat! 

    But ever since he had chosen his path, the path of daggers, he had known that the end could look like this. He had known that the risk was great that he'd die like a trapped rat, hunted down by cats. 

    He had promised himself, promised Baram and everyone else… as he had been in the falling tower and had sent away Interceptor, he had vowed to start a new life. He had even meant to die there. Then he had heard Relm scream as she was about to fall down into a crack in the ground. With a curse he had gotten out of his own pain and rushed to help. Interceptor had been relieved, to say the least. Relm too, as Shadow had helped Strago to pull her out of the danger.  

    That girl… and Salea… 

    No, he couldn't die here! 

 "Forgive me, Salea," Shadow snarled through clamped teeth, "I should have told her, I know, I know…" 

    He had promised to get a new life. But the world had still needed someone like him. There had been that whole thing with Gogo, tracking him down and make him tell the others who he really was… and now this. 

    His hand slipped on the border of the thin ledge. He was about to fall, but managed to keep up. 

    Just a little bit longer… but what did it matter? They'd find him anyhow, no matter how many inches he forced himself past. Yet he kept crawling, with his right leg and arm burning with poison. 

 "Salea, watch over me…" he snarled, "help Interceptor to get out of this hellhole… help him find anyone…" 

    He was almost blinded by sudden torchlight flaming from below, spreading light over the cavern below him. Oh, gods… 

    He blinked, trying to keep his sight up a little longer. It didn't make him feel any better. 

    Oh, gods… 

    By the far back wall there was a stone statue, about ten feet high. That face that it carried couldn't be mistaken… good powers… 

    It held a golden ball in its right hand, surely a small replica of the planet Shadow had watched crumble almost two and a half year ago. 

    Before the statue's feet stood an empty throne, draped in gold and red silk. And before that was a stone, about three feet high, just as wide and maybe eight feet long. There were chains dangling from its short sides. 

    Oh no… oh gods… they couldn't be…?! They couldn't be _that_ mad…!

    As if forced, Shadow's eyes turned to the wall behind the statue. And he saw what from his distance looked like black dots on the cliff. Seven pairs of dots on each side of the sculpture. Fourteen… there were fourteen pairs of irons, waiting for wrists to encircle.   

    Oh, gods… damn!

    Nobody could be that crazy! Yet… no, they couldn't be! It's complete madness! Nobody could perform such a task!

    But there _were_ places for fourteen prisoners, there _was_ a statue of Kefka and there _was_ an altar. And many men in dark robes, carrying torches, pointing at the weakened assassin and shouting triumphantly at each other. 

    Damn, damn, damn… _damn_!


	2. The first to fall

Chapter 1

"Are you serious?!" Terra laughed. 

 "Yeah!" Sabin grinned, "he said he'd grow branches before getting married, and now that lady Kanai has shown to be even worse than him! A toast to my brother!"

 "And to the lady of his dreams!" the woman with green hair grinned.  

    They raised their cups of tea, laughing. Who could ever have believed that Edgar would find a noble woman who was as fond of… err… hunting as him? Good grief… 

 "Say, Sabin," Terra said, smiling, "don't _you_ ever think of getting married?"

    He almost dropped his cup. 

 "Me?" he said, sheepishly feeling his ears change color, "nah, I'm not the kind of guy…"

 "Hey, hey, you shouldn't tell yourself things like that," Terra said, absentmindedly following the brim of her cup with a fingertip, "it's like when you tell yourself that you're stupid. You're not that either."

    She smiled at his astounded look. 

 "Celes said something like that when I met her after the Apocalypse," Sabin said, trying to not let his embarrassment show, "well, it might be true, but I'm not considering getting married. How about you?"

 "No, I don't know…" 

    Terra sighed and shrugged her shoulders. 

 "There is no one for me."

 "Aww, don't tell yourself things like that!" Sabin smiled and winked with one eye. 

    She smiled back at him. Good old Sabin… 

 "By the way," she said, leaving the subject, "I didn't hear you snore last night, couldn't you sleep?"

 "Yes, I could," he said with a little pride in his voice, "but I've found some breathing exercises that help off snoring."

 "Couldn't you have found them a few years earlier?!" Terra exclaimed, playfully making an attempt to throw her tea at him. 

 "Ahh! Spare me!" Sabin laughed, throwing himself on the floor. 

    Terra sat back on her chair, laughing. 

 "God, my stomach will ache in two days after this!" she moaned, smiling, "you're more dangerous like this than when you fight…"

 "Instead of my fists I should have used my mouth to bring the monsters down, you mean?"  

    He got back on his chair with a chuckle. 

 "You've really improved your way of talking anyway," Terra smiled. 

 "Thanks."

    Sabin stretched his arms. 

 "Well, time to get moving," he said, "that school won't get built by itself."

 "I really appreciate that you're helping us with it," Terra honestly said. 

 "I wonder if your kids agree…" 

    They left their empty cups on the table and got out in the morning light. From almost all of the houses other men and woman came, ready for another day of work. The skeleton of a building awaited them. 

    Sabin watched Terra as she walked in front of him. Since she was going to work, she didn't wear any of her usual clothing with its soft red and green color. Instead she was dressed in a light grey shirt and an pair of old, blue pants that were really too big for her. She had probably lent the clothes from somebody. Her hair was as always in a cute ponytail, waving back and forth as she walked on. The prince found that he was smiling to himself, without really knowing why. He cleared his throat and instead focused at the work that needed to be done. Even though many in Mobliz weren't very happy about what was going on, it was going to be completed.  

   No, the children weren't exactly thrilled by the idea of a school, but everyone else agreed that they at least needed to learn some math and to read. 

    Once again the sound of saws and hammers filled the air. The rest of the town's population awakened bit by bit and started with whatever they were occupied with. And many of the children sourly watched the workers, even though Terra had told them at least five times that it was a school and not a prison. But they weren't happier to hear that. Steven had even bitterly said that there wasn't any difference. 

    Terra sighed as she saw the small, angry eyes. The children were used to freedom. But this school would only take a couple of hours of their days! It was just being built so that they'd have some place to study the basics. Then there were more, better schools in other towns if they'd want to keep studying. Children…!

 "Hey, what are the poisonous looks about?"

    Sabin grinned at the boys, holding a plank and giving a nail one single hit with his hammer. The nail went into place as simple as that. 

 "I didn't like the word 'school' when I was a kid either," the prince continued, calmly, "but at least you won't have to learn how to dance."

    The boys stared at him, and Terra dropped her hammer. 

 "Can you dance, Sabin?" Cecil almost stuttered. 

 "I'm a prince, you know," the bodybuilder grimaced, "being able to dance with noble women is a part of the job."   

    He rolled his eyes. 

 "You're lucky, boys. You'll only have to put up with reading and a little math. That's nothing, trust me. Did you know that there's twelve different ways to ask somebody for a dance? And I had to learn all of them. You shouldn't be complaining."

 "Was that why you ran away from the castle?" Sean asked.

 "Partly. And I'd rather be a warrior than a prince, anyhow. Look here, this is something I learnt in the school I choose to attend."

    He placed another nail against the plank, put the hammer down and clenched his fist. The iron spike went into the wood as easy as when he had used the hammer. 

 "Cool!" the boys gasped.

 "Yeah, but don't try it before you have trained for at least ten years, like I have done," Sabin grinned, "run along now, you'll have plenty of time for this building when it's done."

    The boys left talking loudly about how awesome Sabin was. Terra walked over to him. 

 "I didn't know you could dance," she smiled. 

 "And if you tell anyone, I'll have to kill you," Sabin replied with a grin. 

 "Alright, I'll keep quiet. I must say, you've got a great hand with children."

    Sabin shook his head. 

 "I wouldn't say that, they make me do such stupid things. Do you have a bandage?"

    With a grimace he put his bleeding knuckle between his lips. Terra had to chuckle at his behavior before she went to her house to get something that could help Sabin. But by her door, she found something that was much more important than a small wound on a prince's hand. 

 "Oh my God, Interceptor!" she exclaimed. 

    He looked almost as if he was dead, gasping so faintly that it was hardly recognizable. On his pads were deep cuts, and dark pieces of dried blood stained his fur.   

    Half the town came running as they had heard her shout. 

 "Something must have happened to Shadow!" Terra harshly concluded, looking at Sabin.

    He grimly nodded.

 "Come on, pup," the prince said and carefully lifted the great beast from the ground, "you need some caring… huh?"

    As he lifted Interceptor, he unveiled a piece of black cloth that the dog had been lying on. The beast must have dropped and fallen on it; the scummy slobber on the cloth showed that he had carried it in his mouth. Terra didn't care about the disgusting parts and picked up the black thing. It was torn, and grey on the backside. Somebody had been writing something on the lighter side. 

 "What is it, Terra?" Sabin worriedly asked as he saw her pale face. 

    Without a word and with lips pressed together, she held the cloth between her hands so that he could read the writings. The letters were broken and sprawled; written in haste. And in blood. Even though Interceptor's drool had worked on the message, it was still readable.

 "Good gods…" Sabin muttered. 

_To whoever found_

_The Cult of Kefka never disappeared. Warn the Warriors, especially Terra Branford. I'm done for. Don't try to help me. _

Shadow 

 "We'll have to warn everyone," Terra said, frowning deeply, "if they've got Shadow…"

    She fell silent, clenching her teeth. It was too well apparent that the chances of the assassin even being alive in said moment were puny. 

 "It will be hard to tell Gogo," Sabin muttered, forcing back his anger, "and Relm too. She always liked him… I won't let them get away with this! Damn!" 

    He snarled the two last sentences. 

 "Don't worry, Interceptor," Terra grimly told the dog, "everything will be fine, I promise."

    Lying to an animal… what a thing to do. But Terra had to, to keep herself calm. Interceptor weakly yelped. 

    Half an hour later the big dog was sleeping in Katarin and Duane's house, with so many bandages that he almost looked like a mummy. He'd survive, to Sabin and Terra's relief. 

 "I'll go and see if I can catch Setzer in South Figaro," the prince grimly said as he walked towards the door of the small house, "he was going to visit Locke and Celes after dropping me off here yesterday." 

 "I'll come with you," Terra resolutely said. 

    He looked at her, rather surprised. 

 "Shouldn't you stay here and guard?" he asked. 

    She bitterly shook her head. 

 "No. Shadow wrote that I needed to be warned, so he probably feared that they'd be aiming for me. It wouldn't be a surprise if that were true, right? They're worshipping Kefka, and they surely know about all of us since our story is nothing of a secret. So I better get out of here to protect everyone."

 "Alright. Let's go."

    They went to Terra's house. 

 "Wait a moment," the woman of the two called as she hurried up the stair. 

    A minute later Sabin caught an empty backpack that was thrown at him. 

 "Go to the shop and get some supplies, alright?" Terra said from top of the stair, "I'll have to shape up…" 

 "Are you sure I should…" Sabin said, hesitating. 

    He didn't feel like leaving Terra alone now that he knew that there was a mad cult running free. As if reading his thoughts she tried to smile. 

 "I'll be fine, Sabin," she said, "I'll just change clothes and find my sword."

 "Well, okay."

    The prince left the house, even though he wasn't very happy about it. He knew that Terra could take care of herself, no doubts, but… if _Shadow_…

    Sabin almost walked backwards to the shop, trying not to let Terra's home out of his sight. He didn't feel very secure. 

    As soon as he entered the shop, the merchant held up a hand. 

 "I've heard about it already, Sir Sabin," the man grimly said, "what do you need?"

    Katarin and her husband had gotten the story and were going to inform all the grownups about the danger. No kid should be allowed leave town, just to be sure. This wasn't a good moment for leaving anything in the hands of fate. They had obviously already been in the shop.

    The bodybuilder had to smile. 

 "Look, I've got the money needed to…" he began. 

 "No, no. If Terra is going anywhere, I'll help in any way I can. I'm not more fond of anything that has to do with Kefka than anyone else with a grain of sanity left." 

    In her room, Terra grimly stripped out of the lent clothes and with a sigh reached into her wardrobe, bringing out a red and yellow striped full body-slim and a pair of high boots. She had saved the clothes from the battling that had ended two years ago, why she had never known. Certainly not because she had thought that she'd put them on again. They only reminded her of all pain she had gone through. It wasn't easy to put them back on. But as it was done, she bent down and pulled out a small chest from the wardrobe. After opening it, she sat still for a moment and watched what was inside. A light half-plate armor, the hilt of a sword, a couple of black earrings, a sword and a small golden box covered with jewels. 

    The sword and the armor had never had any magical value, they were just plain equipment that she had used in the earlier battles. But the earrings had once shone with blue light from within, and filled her with calm and focus every time she had been chanting. The lonely hilt had grown a blue, shining edge whenever she had grabbed it and gotten ready to fight, turning her strength into a magical blade without harming her; the Atma weapon. And the small box…

    She picked it up. It was so small that it easily fit in her palm, the jewels were tinier than her nails. They didn't cover the box completely, she could see the gold beneath. 

    Master Kefka's treasure. 

    The madmen in dark robes, the men in the Cult of Kefka, had named the gem box that. 

    Whenever she had held it while chanting, it had filled her with strength and making casting even the most powerful spell as easy as breathing. It was hard to tell how it had ever had such power; it was empty. It must have been something with the box itself.

    Terra couldn't stop wondering where Kerr… Kefka had found such a treasure. Or had he created it? Maybe the goddesses had? Had it been a treasure of the espers? Next time her father came to visit her mind, she'd ask him if he knew anything about the once powerful artifact. 

    It had no magical use either nowadays. It was surely worth a fortune, but that was nothing in compare to the power it once had provided. 

    Come to think of it, why would Kefka give such a treasure to a group of worshippers, why hadn't he kept it safe himself? On the other side, he had never been a man of logic. 

    Terra shook her head. There was no time for these kind of thoughts now! She put the box back into the chest and brought out the armor. When she put the metallic pieces over her chest and secured the plates on the front side of her legs, she had to fight against a shudder. It wasn't easier to clasp the belt around her waist and put the sword in its sheath. 

    Ugh… 

    This didn't feel very good.  

    She had no time to ponder all of her thoughts and doubts, however. She heard Sabin open the door downstairs and the sound of his footsteps. 

 "Are you ready, Terra?" he called. 

 "Just a minute!" she yelled back and closed the chest, pushing it back into the depths of the wardrobe. 

    She looked around the room, with a cold feeling in her stomach hoping that nothing in all of Mobliz would have changed when she returned. If she returned. It was time for battles again. And again… 

    Terra fought back another shudder and went to the door. Sabin watched her all the way down to the first floor, and she couldn't figure out what he thought. Never had been able too. She could almost read Edgar like an open book, but not Sabin. There was seldom any telling what he'd do next. 

 "Are you alright?" he asked, gravely. 

 "Yeah," she said and tried to smile, "there's just so much…"

    She fell silent and sighed. 

 "I'll survive, Sabin. Thanks for caring."

 "Hey, of course I care," he said with a small smile that made her feel much better, "you're my friend. Here."

    He gave her the backpack. It clinked lazily; there were bottles of various potions and some food rations where there once had been emptiness. 

 "I had to force the merchant to accept some money," Sabin said, "you're popular around here."

    Was that a compliment? Terra didn't know, so she just tried another smile. Sabin nodded and went into his guestroom to get his own backpack. 

    Then they went towards the chocobo stables. 

    Once again, Sabin watched Terra as she walked. Fascinating… just one hour ago she had been walking before him, looking like any young woman. That her hair was green, well, he had never minded about that. But now, it was as if the clock had moved a couple of years backwards, and she was Terra the half-esper again. If she had raised her hands and sent a wave of fire towards a tree, he hadn't been surprised at all. 

    Sabin wondered if he changed like that too, when he put on his light armor and went into battle. Funny… he found that he missed the other Terra, the peaceful one. The warrior had her strength, but she was strong as a regular woman too, somehow. And much happier. Sabin didn't like to feel that grim, bitter aura encircling her now. Maybe it was mostly because she grieved for Shadow's fate, and she hadn't been prepared for something like this. Heck, he hadn't either, who could have been… but he was more of a warrior than Terra had ever been. He thought that he'd better watch her closely from now on until this crisis was over with.   

    Before he knew it, he had reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. Terra stopped walking and turned around in surprise. 

 "It'll be fine, okay?" Sabin said, encouraging, "whatever happens, everything will be alright again. We'll find those idiots, beat the crap out of them and return home safe." 

    She smiled hesitantly, surprised of his behavior. It was unlike Sabin. But his apparent worry for her feelings made her feel a peculiar happiness. 

 "I'm glad you care," she said, "but don't worry. I'm a big girl, you know."

    He chuckled. 

 "Yeah, I know," he said and carefully squeezed her shoulder, "come on, let's get ourselves a chocobo each."

    She nodded, and they began walking again. 

 "Where are you going, mama?" little Lia asked as Terra was about to mount her bird. 

 "I'm going to South Figaro," the young woman told the small girl, "and I want you and your siblings to behave while I'm gone, alright?" 

 "Sure, mama. Bye!"

    The little girl waved with both her hands as the two travelers left the town.    

 "I don't get it," Terra told Sabin as the grass was flying beneath the birds' claws, "if those madmen have been around for all this time, why haven't they made a move earlier?"

 "Maybe they have been shattered until now, or awaited some kind of 'sign'?" Sabin thoughtfully said, shrugging his shoulders. 

    Both he and Terra startled and stared at each other, thinking about the same face. A hidden face. 

 "You don't think that Gogo…" Sabin began, but then shook his head and answered his own unspoken question, "no. I shouldn't even think something like that about him." 

    Terra shook her head in agreement. They both knew that Gogo rather would die than even remind anyone of his twin brother again. What had happened about five months ago had been enough for the rest of his life. 

 "But where is he, by the way?" Sabin asked, still not completely able to shake off the unpleasant idea. 

 "Last I heard, he was still in Doma and helping Cid and Cyan to work on some kind of air-condition device to warm up the basement during the winter," Terra said. 

 "Well, I guess another unveiling could bring those idiots to their knees, if needed…"

    Terra grimly nodded.   

    By the evening they spotted South Figaro. To their relief there was a very big, distinctive shadow on the field outside of the town. If the Falcon was there, Setzer hadn't left the town yet. 

    The two chocobos gladly ran away as soon as the travelers dismounted. Silly birds, really…   

 "Where do they live again?" Terra snarled and almost wildly looked around, "I haven't been here for some time…"

 "This way!" Sabin grimly said and hurried into town. 

   As the evening got deeper and darker, candles and lamps were lit inside of the houses. Sabin and Terra ran through bars of shadows and weak lights spilling out of the windows, dark, light, dark… there was much more dark than light. The thought sent a shiver through Terra's stomach. She had thought that she was done with fighting! She hadn't wanted to pick up the sword again! 

    Sabin reached a house, not different from all the others, and hit the door a few times with his fist, almost breaking it. Terra stopped by his side, trying to regain her breath. The prince was also breathing deeply after the run. 

    After what felt like an eternity Locke opened the door, frowning. The frown disappeared as he saw who it was. 

 "Don't knock like that," he said with a smile and snort, "I thought it was the police or the empire…"

    He noted the looks in his friends' faces and fell silent, frowning again. 

 "What is it?" he asked. 

 "Shadow…" Terra gasped, still not fully recovered. 

    She reached for a pocket and handed Locke the now dryer piece of cloth. He took it and backed into the light of the house to be able to read the message, waving at Terra and Sabin to get inside. They obeyed. 

 "What, the cult?" Locke exclaimed after reading the bloody letter.

 "What?" Setzer said as he came into the hall with Celes one step behind. 

 "Read this," Locke said between clamped teeth and handed the gambler the message. 

    Celes read over Setzer's shoulder, a frown growing deep in her usually smooth forehead. 

 "No…" she muttered as she had read it all, turning to Terra and Sabin, "what happened?"

    The two new guests hurriedly explained how they had gotten the letter. Setzer clenched his teeth and grimly nodded. 

 "Well, I hate flying at night, but I'll make an exception," he said.

 "I'll get our old armors, Locke…" Celes began.  

 "No!" Locke and Setzer simultaneously said, resolutely. 

    The blond woman's husband furiously shook his head. 

 "No, Celes," he said, "I'm _not_ letting you get even close to battles in your condition."

 "Locke, it hasn't even begun to show yet!" the former magitek knight said, "this is a battle that concerns _all_ of us!" 

 "I'm not going either," Locke said, "I won't leave you alone. Not now."

    Celes snorted. 

 "I'm pregnant, not helpless," she said. 

 "Oh, congratulations…" Sabin and Terra said, finally catching the message. 

    Locke shook his head, looking at his friends. 

 "I'm sorry," he said, "you'll have to fight without us this time." 

 "We understand," the prince of Figaro said with a nod, "should we really, really need you we'll fetch ya."

    Setzer grabbed his jacket from the clothes rail and put it on even as he walked through the door. 

 "Take care, Locke, Celes!" he called back, "come on, you two!"

    Terra and Sabin hurriedly said good-bye and followed the gambler through the town. 

    Locke closed the door. 

 "But what if they need us?" Celes said, frowning. 

 "No, they'll be fine. I'm sure they will."

    He turned to her and put his hands on her shoulders. 

 "Look, I know you don't want to sit here doing nothing while our friends fight; I don't like it either. But I don't want you to put yourself at risk anymore."

 "You never complained before," she pointed out, rather cold. 

    No, she really didn't like the situation. 

 "You wasn't pregnant before," her husband said, trying to calm her down.

 "It doesn't turn me into a lost kid, Locke."

 "No, I know that. But you don't want to put our child in danger, do you?"

    Celes sighed and looked away. Locke draped his arm around her shoulders and brought her back into the living room. Setzer had forgotten his playing cards on the table. Not his deadly ones, of course. Just a regular set of cards. Locke sat down in the sofa, making Celes do the same. He absentmindedly began to assemble the cards into a neat heap, taking a look at the ones Setzer had had at hand. Seemed like the master of games would have won again if they hadn't been interrupted. 

 "I'm not sure about this, love," Celes said, frowning, "I have a bad feeling…"

 "They'll be fine," Locke repeated. 

 "I don't know. If Shadow fell to those people…"

    She fell silent and draped her own arm around Locke's shoulders. He leaned back and wrapped his arms around her. 

 "If something like that happened to Shadow, he must have been unlucky or outnumbered. Probably both."

    Locke sighed, clenching his teeth. 

 "The poor devil…" he muttered, rubbing his forehead, "left as king of mysteries after pushing Gogo from the throne."

 "I hope he didn't suffer too much…" Celes bitterly muttered. 

 "So do I."

Shadow shook his head, trying to think. No, no, no… what the heck was happening? What had they made him drink… what… what… wh… 

    So cloudy… everything seemed to float together. What strange colors…

    He heard himself giggle. 

 'Oh God…' his fading mind whispered before it fell into deep mist.

 "Where can we find the moogle and the yeti?" somebody asked, cold, patient. 

 "I shouldn't think that I should tell you that…" Shadow slurred, giggling again, "wait, what am I saying…"

    Why was the world spinning? It looked funny… 

 "Tell us," the questioner said. 

    Well, why not? It wouldn't hurt anybody, would it?

 "They're just dancing around in Narshe's mines… no problem finding Mog, he's the only one of those teddy-bears that talks. Funny thing, moogles that talk… isn't that very rare? What do you think?"  

 "I think that you should keep talking about your friends."

 "Should I?"

    Shadow giggled again, as the drug shattered every thought that tried to hang on to his brain. 

 "Well, okay," he slurred, smiling dizzily, "if you insist…"  

 "I insist." 


	3. Loosing two more

Uh, yeah. Sorry if the continuance of the opera sucks, I'm not very good at poetry/lyrics :P Well anyway…

Chapter 3

Lady Kanai leaned back in her chair, smiling to herself. The music and darkness was softly embracing her. Like Edgar did. And he was right there, to her left. She could feel the warmth of him, his arm just a few inches from her. If she only made a slight movement, she could touch him. And he could touch her. But none of them would, of course, even though they knew they both wanted to. This was their little game; driving each other crazy waiting for the wedding. Only short embraces and kisses as light as breaths. Only allowing themselves a small taste of their power for the time being. It was harder every time she moved away with a teasing smile or he winked at her with one eye and kissed her hand. And she loved it. She felt him love it. 

    She smiled to herself again. This was indeed a very pleasant situation. 

    Lady Kanai was twenty-eight years old, a very high age for an un-married noble woman. To tell the truth, she had been married. To a man named Sir Derek, a count of Jidoor. She had married him eighteen years old; he had been almost thirty. Reminded a lot about Edgar… 

    Derek had taught her about her sensuality and passion, powers she had kept within all her life. Kanai had loved him, indeed. He had been a wonderful husband. But…

    She pressed her lips together at the painful memory. 

    Derek had died as the world crumbled, getting trapped and crushed inside their falling house. Kanai had happened to be in the garden in that moment, and she had survived by that luck. 

    She could still hear his scream, cutting like a knife through the other sounds of crumbling and screeching earth. Many had lost their beloved ones that day. 

    Kanai fought back a bitter sigh.

    It had been hard for her to pick up the pieces and live on. She had been determined to survive, and also to help others to keep up. Therefore she had helped the auction in Jidoor to reopen. It was bizarre, of course. Bidding for stuff in a dying world… but people had gladly embraced the idea of getting something else to think about, even for a short while each day. And it had given Kanai a chance to move her mind from Derek. 

    Edgar had come to the auction one day, with some friends. Kanai hadn't noted any of the people in his company. She had recognized him, and him only. There was something about the way that he moved, and the look in his eyes.

    She smiled again, the better memories pushing the dark aside. 

    One thing that she and Derek never had agreed on was the beauty of opera. He hadn't liked it. Kanai did. 

 "Leave the past behind!" the Chancellor of the West told Maria on the stage, "our kingdom is picking up the spirit of the East…!"     

 "Aren't you going to get ready for fighting a purple octopus, dear?" Kanai hissed to Edgar, smiling. 

    He grinned at her in the weak light. 

 "I'd love it," he said, "but I'm afraid that the Impresario would drag me out of this building and feed me to the chocobos in your lovely hometown if I tried to."

 "How violent!" Kanai gasped, and they both laughed silently. 

 "Sabin should be here," Edgar smiled, "maybe he'll someday understand why everyone is singing."

    She felt his hand on her arm, wandering to her cheek. 

 "On the other hand," the king of Figaro softly said, "being alone with you here in the dark isn't exactly unpleasant." 

    Kanai knew that she should draw back with a small smile, teasing him. It was a part of their game. But for the moment being, she didn't care at all about it. 

 "Did you think it would?" she said, bending towards him. 

 "No."

    She was amazed that lightning bolts didn't fly from their lips as they touched. Edgar's hand sneaked over to the back of her neck. She had never dreamt that there'd be a man even more passionate than Derek, and so loving. That he was a king didn't matter the slightest to her. No, the way he moved her and what he had accomplished was the only interesting things, not his title. Kanai had been a lady almost her whole life, and been happy with that. Even the time as manager for the auction was kept with warmth in her heart. She had done what she could do in the World of Ruin, feeling glad about that she helped people a little.  Of course she had been hoping, like everyone else, that somebody with greater strength than her would put things right and restore the beautiful world. And Edgar had done it, with his friends. 

    It had cost her almost all the money she had saved from the auction to shape up a little again and then go to visit him in Figaro after Kefka had fallen. It had been no secret who the heroes where, the story had went from mouth to mouth and reached all the world's papers as it had become clear that the madman and his power was gone.   

    Edgar hadn't recognized her, naturally. She had been in the audience, unseen, while he, Locke Cole and Cyan Garamondebattled Ultros. And the day when he'd been in the action house, she had been watching from the window of her office, on the second floor. 

    However, Edgar had sensed what kind of person she was; almost his mirror. People like them simply knew each other. 

    Not since Derek died had she ever been so happy to be alive. Edgar was breathing new life into her. 

    The king of Figaro hadn't been less thrilled when they met than she had been. He was still surprised that the woman even existed. Such a wonderful being, the embodiment of everything he'd ever sought for. Many women had the beauty, and the brain. Some had the passion and sensuality. But none had all of it, none could ever keep his attention. Except Kanai. She kept teasing him, always catching his interest in new ways. 

    Her name made her sound innocent. Yet another thing about her that thrilled him. He knew she wasn't, by no means. She didn't pretend she was, either. Not to him. It was fascinating to get seduced, for once. A completely new, and certainly not unpleasant experience. 

 "The survivors of the West attacks!" a soldier on the stage screamed. 

 "Impossible!" prince Ralse growled, grabbing Maria's arm. 

    Edgar drew back. A shiver of disappointment ran through Kanai's body. This time, _he_ was teasing _her_. God, it was thrilling her to insanity! Edgar knew exactly what he was doing.

 "I'm sorry, my lady," he whispered, carefully running his fingers through her thick, dark hair as he removed his hand, "I'd like to enjoy the ending of this opera this time."

 "It went rather chaotic when I saw it last," Kanai mumbled, pulling herself together, "they removed the abducting scene from act I and placed it in act II, after getting the real Maria just in time during the pause." 

    On the stage, Ralse and Draco had begun their fight. After a "hard" battle, Draco sent the prince's sword flying out of sight, to the left end of the scene. 

 "_The_ _West will once again be free!_" Draco triumphantly sang. 

 "_I wish you good night for now,_" Ralse furiously replied, _"but remember, you have not seen the last of me! Practice, petty hero, before me you shall bow!_"  

    With a shriek Ralse disappeared into a black cloud. The soldiers of the East fell to the floor, as if dead. 

 "Draco!" Maria sang, rushing into his arms. 

 "_Cry no more, my love,_" the hero tenderly sang, holding her close, "_the East will never harm us again, sweet dove._"  

    The scenes were hurriedly changed, everyone except the couple went off stage. Draco and Maria didn't move at all while the great hall of the castle was transformed into a garden. The background with its distant windows was replaced with an enormous picture of a pond encircled by trees, bushes made of wood were pushed onto the stage. 

 "Peace returned to the West," the storyteller announced, "Draco and Maria planned their wedding, forgetting about Ralse's vow. But forgetfulness would rob them of their happiness." 

    Kanai closed her eyes, leaning back. This was her favorite part of this opera; the sweet yet passionate love aria of Draco and Maria. 

    But as Maria began to sing to the slowly growing crescendo of the orchestra, the lady felt a cold hand over her mouth, pressing her head backwards into the back of her seat. It was definitely not Edgar's gentle touch. Panicking, Kanai tried to scratch at the attacker with her long nails, while fumbling for Edgar's arm. Where was he? Wasn't he there?!

    There was a surprised "Ouff!" coming from her left. The next second the grip of her head was removed in panic, followed by a _thump!_ and another groan of pain. She rushed from her seat, at first only staring in shocked paralyzation as Edgar sent his fist into the chest of a figure in a dark robe. A growl came from beneath the hood. Without looking, the king of Figaro kicked backwards and sent another stranger into the wall of the small terrace while lifting his facing foe by the shoulders. 

 "I'm not amused with these kind of games," Edgar growled, "and when somebody attacks my lady, I get really irritated. So you better tell me what the hell you are doing here, who you are and how you got past the guards, or I'll personally cut you into very small pieces with a chainsaw."

    The other man got to his feet and leaped towards Edgar's back, but Kanai got in his way, holding her fist and knee in tactical places. It was obviously a man under the dark cloth, considering the fact that he didn't care much for the hit in his face. His groan was almost drowned in Draco's singing and the loud orchestra.    

 "I'll _never_ make _you_ irritated, love," Edgar grinned without turning around, understanding the situation by the sounds.

 "Better not, dear," Kanai said, to her surprise finding an excited smile upon her lips. 

    On the stage Draco's song turned to a scream of pain. He fell to the floor with a black arrow in his back, disappearing before Maria's feet in the same kind of black cloud that Ralse had left through. 

    Maria's heartbreaking scream startled Edgar, making him turn his head at the stage. 

    Like an attacking snake, the man he held reached into his robes and brought out a thin dagger. Before Kanai had time to screech a warning, the attacker had surpassed Edgar a light cut in the right shoulder. The king of Figaro growled in surprise and dropped his enemy, staggering. 

 "Edgar!" 

    Kanai tried to scream, but all that left her lips was a croaking whisper as her beloved fell to the floor, unconscious. 

 "Sinner!" the hooded man snarled and attacked her. 

    Her arm turned into a flame of pain, even though the wound wasn't very deep. At once her mind began to fade away. 

 "Edgar…" she whispered, helpless, before the poison began to hastily bring her away from the wake world. 

    She fell to the floor just when Maria saw the demon that had been hidden behind a bush; the monster that had abducted Draco. Lady Kanai slipped into unconsciousness as the young queen swore to all the good powers that she would go to the underworld to retrieve her love from Ralse's clutches. Her holy vow drove the demon to flee with a snarl. 

    The dramatic scene on the stage had veiled the attack on the terrace completely to the other guests.


	4. Family

Chapter 4

 "We should go to Figaro castle first, it's close by…" Sabin said as the Falcon rose towards the night sky. 

 "Nope," Setzer said, shaking his head, "they were _all_ going to the other side of the world this weekend. The opera house was setting up 'Maria of the West', and it seemed like Lady Kanai liked that piece of art." 

 "That's my bro for you…" Sabin sighed, shrugging his shoulders, "moving an entire castle just to impress a lady."  

    He nudged Setzer's side and smirked:

 "Hey, why aren't _you_ there?"  

 "I would have been, but…"

    Setzer rolled his eyes and smiled tiredly. 

 "I had a feeling that Maria herself would have thrown a bouquet at me if I even got close to the rehearsal."

 "Touchy, those celebrities, aren't they?"

 "Sabin, _we_ are the greatest celebrities in the whole world."

 "Yeah, but we don't stand on a stage and sing for no reason at all."

    The gambler chuckled with a sigh, shaking his head. He couldn't decide whether to find Sabin's lacking skill of enjoying fine theater amusing or tragic.  

    The prince looked around. 

 "Hey, where did Terra go?" he said, frowning. 

 "Chill, she went downstairs. I don't think there are any madmen onboard my airship, Sabin!"

    He shouted the last thing at Sabin's leaving back. As the bodybuilder was gone from the deck, Setzer smiled to himself. Good grief…

    Terra was sitting in a sofa, slightly frowning and staring at the opposite wall. When she heard Sabin's footsteps she turned her head and smiled carefully, dissolving the frown. 

 "Just trying to contact my father," she said and stood up, stretching her whole body, "no luck, though. I think he's sleeping."  

 "Well, we need to decide where to go first. Since my brother has moved his whole castle because of an opera, Figaro isn't as close by as I thought. So it's either Narshe, Doma or Thamasa." 

    Terra began to walk towards him, and he turned around to walk at her side as she reached him. They went up the stair side by side. 

 "I'd say Thamasa," Terra grimly said, "because…"

    She sighed. 

 "We better tell Relm about Shadow and get it over with. From Thamasa we can go straight southwest to Doma, without getting too close to the fanatics' tower. Even if we don't know if they're there…"

 "Right," Sabin nodded and ended the sentence, "should they be there and see us, they might realize that we know something."

    Terra smiled at him. 

 "See?" she said, elbowing his arm, "you're not as stupid as you think you are."

    Sabin smiled down at her, to his own surprise (and surely her too) wrapping his arm around her shoulders and giving them a soft squeeze. 

 "It's only because pretties like you tells me that I'm not that dumb."

    He grimaced.     

 "I've been around Edgar too much." 

    Terra had to laugh at that, even though his touch puzzled her. He had never done anything like that before. Was it important? 

    No. 

    He probably only worried about that she hadn't practiced battling in quite some time, and lacked magic skill now. It worried her too, but she was determined to not let those facts bring her down. As soon as she got a little daylight she'd practice her swordsmanship a little. 

    They reached Thamasa about three o'clock in the morning, if that is to be named "morning" other than simply technically. 

    It was a very irritated and sleepy Strago that opened the door, with a candle is his hand and his grey hair in one single mess. 

 "You're awakening the whole town!" he snapped, "what in the name of goodness are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

    He obviously didn't think that it was morning.

 "Shadow is gone, probably dead," Setzer gravely said. 

    They had to trample on the grass by the door to stop the fire from spreading to the house. Strago picked up the candleholder and the half molten candle, glaring at his friends.  

 "Come on in," he growled. 

    As they went into the kitchen and sat down around the table to tell the story, a sleepy Gau crawled out from the room Strago had added to the bottom floor of the house as the boy moved in. 

 "Wha'z going on?" the young man yawned. 

    He was getting really tall. Sabin could swear that Gau had grown at least one foot since they had met last. On the other hand, he was almost sixteen years old now. A good age for growing like a tree.  

    A series of thumps and sleepy groans of pain from the stair announced that Relm was stumbling downwards. 

 "What are you morons up to?" the close-to-teenage girl grumbled. 

    The grownups exchanged glances. 

    Finally Terra stood up and walked over to Relm, taking her hand. 

 "Come on, you better sit down. You too, Gau." 

 "I don't like the sound of that…" the girl warily said. 

 "Me not either," Gau said as he went to a chair. 

 "Me neither," Strago absentmindedly corrected. 

    Terra placed Relm on a chair and then sat down, still holding the girl's hand. The green-haired woman hastily deliberated how she would tell her young friend. Beginning with some weak truth like "this isn't easy for me to say" would only stretch the pain of worrying. It was best to just tell her. 

 "Shadow is dead," Terra said. 

    Gau's jaw fell, Relm stared at her grown friend in shock. 

 "No!" she squealed, "no, no, no! He can't be dead! Not him! You're lying!"

    Terra reached forward and pulled Relm into a hug, as she had done many times as her children in Mobliz had been sad and afraid. 

 "He sent Interceptor with this message," Sabin grimly explained and put the piece of cloth on the table while Terra slowly rocked back and forth on her chair, holding Relm tightly.   

  "Interceptor was badly hurt," the woman with green hair said, and continued mostly to the girl, "but he's recovering in Mobliz. I think that Shadow would be glad if you took care of him, Relm." 

 "He _can't_ be dead!" Relm sobbed. 

    Gau jumped of his chair and walked over to the two females, placing his hand on the girl's wet cheek. 

 "Not cry, little sister," the boy gravely said, "I will cave those bad men's heads in!"

 "What bad men?" Relm snarled. 

 "The message says that it was the Cult of Kefka is responsible, my girl," Strago grimly said. 

 "What?!"

    Relm grabbed the piece of cloth, staring at it through her bitter tears. After reading it she threw the message on the floor with a growl of rage. 

 "Let's go!" she screeched, "we can't let them get away with this!" 

 "Calm down," Strago sharply said, "we don't know where they are, and anyhow at least you lack fighting skills nowadays."

 "That's not true!" Relm exclaimed, "I can still handle daggers! I was ten years old when I began to fight, and that went well!"

 "We had magic then, and you could use your talent of painting in battle," the old man pointed out, "but it's different this time."

 "Shadow was my friend, grandpa. If you're going to fight, I'll fight too." 

    She had a much calmer voice now, and she looked stubbornly at her grandfather. 

 "I'll come too!" Gau growled, "Shadow friend! Me not forgive either!"

 "Me forgive neither …" Strago absentmindedly said. 

    He startled and shook his head. 

 "Sorry, my mistake. Forget that one, Gau."

 "I've been thinking," Terra said, "that Interceptor made it to Mobliz in his condition must mean that he wasn't that far away when he started to run. I think it's quite possible that the cult still is around the tower." 

 "I don't like this," Setzer said, frowning, "if they still should be in their old place, they are either stupid or want us to come there… on the other hand, nothing tells us that Shadow wasn't attacked somewhere else, like in the field."

    They all exchanged glances and shook their heads. No, that Shadow had been killed was one astounding thing. But it was absolutely impossible that he would have been captured in the fields of the serpent trench; one _couldn't_ be attacked there. It was impossible to hide in the weak grass, so he couldn't have fallen to an ambush. He wouldn't ever do that, anyhow. 

 "But what about that forest south of Mobliz?" Relm said, "how about it?"

    They all exchanged tired glances. 

 "Interceptor should be able to show us the way when he has recovered a little," Sabin suggested. 

 "Maybe we should get him from Mobliz," Terra said, frowning, "if those madmen should find out that he's there, they might do something. Now that we have the airship it shouldn't be a problem."

 "Let's go!" Relm exclaimed, terrified at the thought of loosing the dog too, "we have to go right now!" 

    Strago said nothing for a moment. Everybody awaited his decision. Finally he sighed. 

 "I remembered what happened last time I forbid you to follow," he sighed, "I guess we have to go, all of us. But we have to pack some supplies and dress up."

    He looked at the three guests. 

 "And you should get some sleep, children." 

 "Hey!" Sabin, Setzer and Terra exclaimed. 

    Strago shrugged his shoulders. 

 "You're children in compare to me," he said. 

    They had to retreat when facing such logic. 

    After sleeping a couple of hours in the beds the house could provide (since awakening the inn-keeper didn't seem healthy), the three guests had another meeting with their friends. It was a short meeting. Relm simply demanded that they should pick Interceptor for Mobliz. So it became decided that after getting the dog, they should hurry to Doma, Narshe and lastly Figaro castle to assemble their other friends.

 "No feeling good that Locke and Celes not here," Gau sighed as the group hurried through the sleeping town, towards the airship.

 "No, but I can understand Locke's reasons," Setzer said with a small smile, "he sure took his time understanding how much Celes meant to him. We'll take care of this anyhow, and they'll be safer where they are." 

    Setzer had yet to study the book "I'm a hero, and these are the things that I shouldn't say". It's the sequel to "I'm an universal villain, but these sayings bring me down every time". 

 "I think a good hit right here should do the trick," Gogo said, knocking at a piece of the machinery with a screwdriver, "Cyan, if you please…"

 "Surely, Sir Gogo."

    The swordsman took a deep, calm breath. Then he grabbed a hammer and with a terrifying roar surpassed the metal "a good hit". Gogo and Cid stumbled backwards, pressing their hands against their heads. 

 "Now it should work, press the button," the mimic nodded at his old friend from the empire, after rubbing the sides of his helmet for a moment.

 "Very well."

    Cid went over to the control table and lowered his hand over a big, green button. At first nothing happened. Then the great machinery began to drone softly. 

 "Your hate for machines serves its purpose, Sir!" Cid grinned. 

 "My pleasure," Cyan said, bowing with a smile.  

 "Now lets just hope that it works in the right way…"

    They left the great room and went into the other halls of the world beneath the castle of Doma. 

 "It feels a bit warmer, Sir," one of the workers that were waiting to check the result reported. 

 "Well, thou better stay for a while down here to see how well it works," Cyan said, "and report to me or my friends if it should begin to get unbearable or something else should occur."

 "Yes Sir. Good night." 

    The man smiled tiredly of compassion. 

 "Or maybe good morning."

    Cyan and his two friends chuckled and went upstairs to sleep. 

    Gogo had just crashed on his bed when somebody knocked on his door. Grumbling he got up again and went over the floor to open the small portal. 

    A young girl almost knocked him down. 

 "Gogo, Gogo, Gogo, Gogo!" she screeched in tears. 

 "What, Relm?" he said, astounded, "what's the matter?"

 "They've killed Shadow!" she shouted, crying of rage. 

 "_What_?!"

    He looked up in shock, finding Strago and Terra outside of the door. 

 "Sorry to awake you with such news…" the old man grimly said.

 "I wasn't sleeping," Gogo said, blank-minded, "what the hell is this about?"

    He couldn't remember when he had sworn last, but it felt good right then. 

    Half an hour later he was sitting with his friends in the meeting hall of the rebuilt Doma, with his gloved fingers silently but furiously tip-tapping against the table. 

 "I see," he growled, "Kefka is playing around again, is he?"  

    Everyone nodded, unable to look at him. The mimic clenched his teeth behind the veil. He stood up, and his eyes shot lightning bolts. 

 "Well, I won't let him haunt this world again in any way," he snarled, "I'm fed up with his games! And now this with Shadow…!"

 "Calm down!" Strago snapped, "we'll _all_ take care of this."

    Gogo's palms hit the table. 

 "No, no," he growled, "you don't understand. I _knew_ about Shadow going after those madmen."

    His friends stared at him, jaws dropping. 

 "I tried to stop him," Gogo bitterly continued, balling his hands into shaking fists, "he came here a couple of weeks ago, remember?"

    He said the last thing looking at Cid and Cyan, who silently nodded. 

 "He told me that he had found out about the cult still being around," the mimic snarled, "and I told him to not go alone. But that fool didn't listen. And now this!"

    His fist hit the bloodied piece of cloth. 

 "I'm sorry," he growled, "I knew I should have told you. I'll never learn…!" 

    Rubbing his forehead, he sat down again. 

 "Did he tell you anything about where they were?" Setzer finally asked, carefully. 

 "No. I'm so sorry, Relm."

    Gogo stared at the table, sighing. 

    There was a silence. 

 "Gogo," Strago suddenly said, slowly, "this might not be the right moment, but… did Shadow ever tell you his real name?"

 "Hmm?"

    The mimic looked at the old man in surprise. So did all the others. 

 "With him being the only one knowing _your_ real name," Strago continued, "well, I'm just wondering."

    Sabin thought that the old man's eyes flew to Relm for half a second, but wasn't sure. 

 "No, why?" Gogo said. 

    Strago shrugged his shoulders. 

 "I guess he'll take his secrets into the grave…"

    He stood up. 

 "No, come on," he said, "we can't stay here until we start to grow mushrooms! Time to act, youngsters. We're going to Narshe and Figaro."  

 "I shall tell the chancellor that he is in charge while I am not present," Cyan grimly said, "I will see thee on the airship, my friends." 

 "I'll come with you," Cid said, frowning, "at least to Figaro castle. There might maybe be something I can help you with."

 "Better turn off the warming system while we're gone…" Gogo lazily said and stood up. 

    As the swordsman and the mimic walked towards the door, Relm jumped off her chair and ran after them. Gau followed her without a word. The other people around the table exchanged concerned glances before they also rose from their seats and began moving out to the airship. 

    Gogo didn't turn around as he walked down the stairs, even though he heard the light steps behind him. Scratching the cloth over his cheek, he simply continued downwards. 

    Not before they reached the bottom floor he faced the young boy and girl. 

 "I'm really, really sorry, Relm," he said, honestly. 

    She walked closer and threw her arms around him, only reaching his chest. Gogo put his hands on her shoulders, calming. 

 "I liked him, Gogo," the girl growled, "and he was too stupid to listen to you and common sense!"

 "He wasn't stupid, he only wanted to do things in his own way."

    Gogo sat down on one knee and pushed his veil downwards, for once fully revealing his scarred face. 

 "He made it through many times, even in the in the empire; got me out of my cell and to safety," he continued, "so Shadow probably worked with the belief that he could do it again. I know how you feel."

    He bitterly shook his head. 

 "Even though he recognized me for my brother's face, he saved me. We never spoke much, but he was a close friend of mine. I swear Relm, we will make the cult pay for this. But, this is important, we must never fight in hate. Then we're no better than them."

 "But they…" she began. 

 "Yes, I know. And it sounds like a cliché, but it's true. Hate will only bring more hate. That was Gesthal and my brother's mistake, and mine too. At first I was so deeply into my own pain that I didn't care what happened to the rest of you. I could have put you all in danger if I hadn't reconsidered. You must remember that."

    He straightened up and secured the veil again. 

 "Come on," he said, "we've got work to do."


	5. Prisoners and drugged assasins

Chapter 5

"Hey, Mog!"

 "Yeah?"

    The small teddy bear looked around, finding Kupan standing there with a concerned look in his cute face.  

    After the world's downfall, all the moogles had hid deep underground. All except Mog, who had waited in the old cave for his friends to show up. When Kefka had been defeated, he had gotten down and fetched his tribe-friends. Now they all lived happily in the mines again. 

 "What is it?" the only moogle who knew human language asked. 

    What really left his mouth was "kupo?", but Kupan understood anyhow. The moogles didn't communicate only with their voices, but also with movements of their paws and looks in their eyes.  

 "There are unknown humans in our tunnels," Kupan reported. 

 "Well, why don't you just ignore them?" Mog smiled. 

 "I would, but it seems that they have surrounded Umaro and are trying to kill him."

 "_Kupo_!?" 

    (Translation not needed, and anyhow it would have required censoring.) 

    Growling orders to his fellows to follow him, Mog grabbed his spear and nodded at Kupan to show the way. The small army of cute creatures rushed through the tunnels, soon enough hearing Umaro's distant roar of rage. The armed moogles entered a cavern, not bigger than the one they lived in, and found Umaro trying to fend himself against eight men in dark robes. Normally he wouldn't have any problem with the attackers, but he had just gotten out of his summer-sleep and was still rather thin and drowsy after the hibernating. The robed figures all held thin daggers in their hands, and Umaro already bled from several wounds.

 "Hey, what do you think you're doing!?" Mog shouted, for the hundred time wishing that his voice wasn't the one of a small human child. 

    As a couple of the strangers turned around, the moogle recognized their robes.  

 "Cult of Kefka!" he growled to his friends, who began whispering nervously to each other. 

 "Kefka?"

 "He said his cult…"

 "Kefka scary… _they_ are scary…" 

 "Come on!" Mog snarled, "we have to help Umaro!"

 "Kupo!"

 "It's only humans in robes!"

    Mog almost jumped up and down in anger. 

 "The talking moogle," he heard a hoarse voice say, "just like the assassin said."

    The white teddy bear spun around. 

 "What assassin?" he snarled, even though his snarls never were very convincing. 

    The dark depths of two hoods were pointing at him as Umaro clumsily sent another robed figure into the cave wall. The cavern didn't tremble, which clearly showed that the yeti wasn't at full strength. 

 "The assassin Shadow," the right hood said, "who is our prisoner. Like you and the yeti will be soon." 

 "You're out of your minds," Mog snapped and grabbed the spear in both hands, "but come on, then, if you think that you can fight me, kupo." 

    He wished that he still could use his dance to call upon the power of nature. And he definitely wished that his friends hadn't been so terrified of the name Kefka.  

    Umaro was swaying back and forth, and the cultist seemed to loose their interest in him, turning to Mog instead. Uh-oh…

 "Grahh, boss!" the yeti growled as Mog hit his closest foe in the stomach with the non-metallic end of his spear, "feel much tired, careful!"

 "What did you say, pal?" Mog shouted over the growling of the men that approached him. 

 "Uhhh…"    

    Umaro swayed one last time and then hit the stone-ground with a loud crash. 

 "Kupo…!" 

    Mog desperately looked back at his friends. They were still hesitating, backing in fear as they saw the great Umaro fall. 

    Tired? And those light wounds couldn't have killed him… sleeping poison? 

    They had said that they would take only Mog and Umaro captive, but if they could, they'd surely slaughter the moogles. If those daggers were… 

    Mog silently cursed the whole world, using moogle swearing (you'd be surprised…). He grabbed his spear tightly and blindly attacked the cultists. His sudden movement surprised them, and he managed to knock three to the floor. But that wouldn't help much. 

 "Run!" he shouted in moogle, "run, or they might kill you all! Try to warn my human friends if they come here!"

 "But what about you?" Kuru yelped. 

 "Don't bother! Run, they're cheating!"

 "Kupo… Mog…"

    A fist hit his back, and he was thrown to the ground beside Umaro. The spear fell from his grip. With weak "kupo, kupo", the other moogles fled. 

    Dark robes surrounded Mog. He stubbornly looked up at them until a dagger glistened in the weak torchlight and blood stained his pure fur. Then the world began to become unclear, and he fell into unconsciousness. 

With a groan Edgar opened his eyes, blinking at the darkness around him. 

 "Edgar!"

 "Oh, look what the imp dragged in…" 

    The first voice was a woman's, and the other one… familiar… 

    Edgar sat up, raising his hands to rub his forehead. His heart froze as he heard a clinking of chains when he moved. 

 "What the…?"

    He looked around, finding himself sitting on a dirty cot in a prison cell. On his wrists were thick irons, attached to the wall via chains. His soul froze as he realized who was there by him, also a prisoner. 

 "Oh, God… Kanai? Are you alright?" 

    Her hands and bare arms were dirty, and the once softly yellow, fine dress she wore was probably not to be saved. She sat on the cot to the left of Edgar's, also chained. Her face was pale as death itself. But it regained some color as she saw that he seemed to be fairly fine again. 

 "I was so worried before you awoke…" she mumbled. 

    Edgar reached out his hand, forgetting about the chains. He couldn't reach her. Even as Kanai reached for him, a few inches were between their fingertips. 

 "What happened?" Edgar growled, "where are we?"

 "We're going to be eaten by Kefka…" the familiar voice said, giggling exhaustedly. 

    Edgar's head snapped in that direction. 

    Lying on the cot facing his was a man in dark clothes. His dark blond hair was dirty and full of knots, and Edgar didn't recognize the face. But his clothes and the voice…

 "Shadow? My God, what has happened to you?" Edgar almost stuttered. 

    His eyes were reddened, not by tears, but… something. It seemed as if he couldn't focus his gaze either, almost as if he was drunk. 

 "I think they've drugged him," Kanai muttered, pulling up her legs and hugging them as if she was freezing. 

 "That's such a funny thing," Shadow slurred, "I know I shouldn't drink what they give me, but I can't remembererer why…" 

    He blinked, trying to focus his eyes on the king of the three prisoners. 

 "Sorry, Edgar…" he mumbled, "I'd get us out of here in a minute, but for some reason my fingers are so numb I can't even hold a dirk… if I still had… have… had them."

 "Shadow," Edgar sharply said, "where is this? Why are we here?"

    The assassin drowsily smiled.

 "We're in the Cult of Kefka," he said and giggled again, "no, no, no… I mean that they have locked us up here. I think they think that they think…"

    He fell silent and shook his head. 

 "What was I saying, again?"

    Edgar wished that he could have slapped the assassin's face. They would have needed it, both of them. 

 "What is the cult up to?" he asked, trying to keep calm. 

 "Oh, yes."

    Shadow weakly nodded. 

 "They seem to think that Kefka might be resurrected if they sacrifice all those who helped killing him. They have some strange ideas, don't they?" 

 "Oh God…" 

    Edgar buried his face in his hands. 

 "Kanai, I'm so sorry," he bitterly muttered, "I should have been more careful."

    She shook her head, staring at the wall with empty eyes. 

 "It's not your fault, Edgar," she said in a low voice. 

 "Nope," Shadow groaned, "it's all my fault."

    He rolled over on his back and laid his arm over his eyes, as well as his chains allowed. The drug seemed to have taken another turn in his poor body, removing the merriness and replacing it with depression. 

 "God, I've betrayed you all, Edgar," he groaned, slurring almost even worse than before, "they knew where Relm and Strago were, and Terra, and you, and Celes and Locke … and Cyan… and even that Gogo is in Doma… but they wanted to know where to find Setzer, Mog, Umaro and Sabin and all… they made me drink something and I only talked… and talked… and talked… and do you know what the worst part is?"

    Edgar sadly looked at him and shook his head. 

 "No Shadow, what?" he said. 

    The assassin waved weakly with his hands. 

 "The worst thing is that now they're going to kill us all," he said, "and I've been a worse swine than Gogo was… pha!"

    His arm moved away, and there were tears in his misty eyes. 

 "I made Gogo talk, but I never talked myself… I never told Relm and Strago… never told anyone of you. What a swine…" 

    Edgar's elbows hit his knees, and he heavily placed his head in his hands. 

 "Told us what, Shadow?" he lazily asked. 

 "I think old man Strago had his suspici… susp… thoughts, but he never asked me… I'm an idiot, Edgar. I only watched her, never dared to tell her…" 

    He tiredly shook his head, falling silent. 

 "What are you going on about?" Edgar snapped, frustrated. 

    His sharp tone almost startled both him and Kanai, but Shadow didn't seem to mind at all. 

 "I should have told Relm before it was too late," he muttered, "told her that I'm her father."

    Very slowly Edgar straightened up and leaned back against the cold wall. 

 "What did you say, Shadow?"

 "I left Salea, left her in Thamasa when I had fully recovered," the assassin bitterly slurred, "I had to leave her, I would only have made them come after her too, the damn empire… had to protect her and find Baram… I never knew she was pregnant before I came back one day and found her with a baby… she didn't believe it was me first, but she saw Interceptor and even though I had my mask and all… but I couldn't return, I'd get her killed… surprised that Strago didn't go for a hunt… ugh… my head…" 

    He rubbed his face. 

 "God, what have I done… I even took jobs in the empire! Good gods…"

 "Never knew you were religious, Shadow," Edgar muttered. 

 "'S'about time…" 

 "Yeah."

    Edgar pursed his mouth and looked at Kanai. 

 "Don't worry, love," he grimly said, "our friends will help us. I'm sure about it." 

    She tried hard to smile a little, but the moment wasn't well made for it. 

 "We defeated Kefka," Edgar said, trying to be encouraging even though he felt rather cold inside, "they'll get us out of this."

 "I hope you're right, love."

 "What, you mean you finally found a lady for real, Edgar?" Shadow muttered, staring at the ceiling with empty eyes. 

 "Yes, Shadow."

 "Hold on to her, then… don't do as I did… Salea's dead and Relm doesn't know anything… oh, my poor head…"

    Edgar tiredly rubbed his face, sending a silent prayer to all good powers that what he had told Kanai was true. 


	6. Midnight blood

Chapter 5

"Where _are_ all the moogles?" Terra concernedly said, "they must be around here somewhere…" 

 "I hope nothing has happened to them," Cyan muttered, scratching his head. 

 "No, no more!" Gau growled, leaping onto a rock and wildly looking around.

    But they had been down in the mines for three hours, without seeing as much as a small, cute ear. They had even been to the main cave, where the moogles usually always were, five times. Nothing. 

 "Have you found anything?" Setzer's voice called.

    He, Cid and Gogo came up the left tunnel towards Terra, Cyan and Gau. Those who had been waiting shook their heads. 

 "Maybe Sabin…" Terra said, without much hope.  

    And as the prince, Strago and his grandchild joined their friends, they were just as empty-handed. 

 "Where could they be?" Relm said, frowning deeply, "they can't just disappear!" 

 "I don't get it…" Sabin said, shaking his head, "where could they have gone?"

    He looked up at Gau, who still sat on the rock above all the others. 

 "Hey pal, can't you try to call them in their own language?" 

    The young man looked down, rather sheepishly. 

 "Me stupid. Sorry," he said, "should have thought."

 "It's alright, just try it."

    Gau cleared his throat. Everyone saw it coming and covered their ears. 

 "_Kupo, kupopo_!!" the boy shouted, sounding really, really cute even though he was almost roaring.

    He sat down on his knees, looking around. His friend removed their hands and nervously listened to the echo. 

 "Kupo…?"

    The people in the tunnel looked up. A small, white and cute face anxiously looked down at them through a hole in the ceiling. As the moogle had seen the humans, he hastily drew back. 

 "Hey, don't go away!" Relm shouted. 

    There were a lot of "kupo, kupo" coming from the hole. Then suddenly, about twenty or so moogles fell down through it, landing on the stone ground and kupoing wildly. 

 "Calm down!" Terra shouted over the confused noise, "where's Mog?" 

    The moogles fell silent, looking at her for a moment. Then they all began yelling again, waving desperately with their paws. 

 "What are they saying, Gau?" Gogo helplessly asked, "can you understand them?"

    Gau climbed down from the rock and kupoed carefully at one of the upset creatures. It jumped up and down, yelling at him. The boy began to growl. 

 "We late," he bitterly said, "he say Mog and Umaro taken by Kefka last night."

    The moogles all stopped fooling around, turned at Gau and sadly nodded as one single being. Terra had to lean against the wall, Relm heavily sat down, Gogo rubbed his forehead, Setzer went even paler than usual, Cid lowered his head and Strago, Cyan and Sabin clenched their teeth. 

 "Kupo…" one of the moogles said, patting Gau's shoulder with his small, white paw, "kupopopo, kupo!"

 "He say not kill," the once wild boy said, frowning, "only make sleep with poison on daggers and then bring away." 

 "Why would they do something like that?" Strago said, puzzled, "why wouldn't they just kill them?" 

    Gogo's head snapped up, and he stared thoughtfully at the wall. Then he shook his head and didn't say anything. 

 "Wait a moment," Cyan suddenly said, "if they can get Umaro…" 

    The friends stared at each other. 

 "Oh God, Locke and Celes!" Setzer exclaimed. 

    It felt as an eternity passed before they finally reached the daylight. Stumbling and sliding in the snow, with their legs and lunges burning after the desperate run, they rushed through the town of Narshe and down to the airship. The townspeople stared stupidly at the nine leaving visitors as they stumbled past.

    Setzer fell as he reached the deck; his legs couldn't take it. Shaking he reached into a pocket and gave Sabin the key to the controls. The prince staggered over to the wheel and fumbled with the key for a few seconds before he finally got the engine to start. 

    The Falcon rose towards the sky while most of the passengers lay gasping on the deck, trying to regain their breath. 

    After a couple of minutes, Setzer more or less crawled over to Sabin. 

 "I'm fine… better now, I'll drive…" the gambler muttered, "you can sit down."

    Sabin almost broke the deck as he fell to it, shivering. 

 "I've never run like that…" he muttered, working on getting his breath under control, "can't be healthy."

 "No."

    Setzer stared at the horizon. Terra managed to work her way over to the two men. 

 "What about Edgar?" she said, anxious. 

 "Nah, he'll be fine," Sabin muttered, "he's got an army standing between him and the rest of the world. Still…"

    He frowned. 

 "We have to hurry to warn him, just in case." 

    Terra and Setzer nodded. 

    The evening fell as they soared through the sky, and it was almost midnight when they spotted the distant lights of street lamps in South Figaro. It was even past midnight when Setzer finally managed to land outside of town and they could rush off the Falcon. Most of them were so tired that they hardly could think after not being able to sleep well in two days, but the worry kept them up. 

    No lights shone from any windows this time; it was too late. But the street lamps shed their soft eerie light over the town. 

    Cyan hit the door of Locke and Celes' house so hard that the whole building shook, showing no respect to the neighbors. 

    They waited. Half a minute passed. Nothing. 

    The swordsman of Doma tried the handle of the door. It opened, unlocked. 

    The world was silent. 

    Finally Cyan unsheathed his katanas and grimly nodded at his friends. They nodded back, with their hearts pounding like mad of worries. 

    Slowly, the whole group entered the house, listening for the slightest sound. 

 "Celes?" Terra called, "Locke?"

 "Up here!" Celes' voice screeched from above. 

    Her call was followed by another screech, the sound of metal against metal. 

 "Gotcha!" Locke's voice growled as nine pair of feet hit the floor and stair leading to the upper part of the building. 

    Cyan entered the bedroom of the house just in time to see Locke kick a loose limbed, robed figure off his sword, while Celes parried the attack of two other intruders with her own weapon. One of the men she was fighting stumbled backwards, into Sabin's reach. The prince grabbed the cultist and smashed the hooded head into the wall by the bed. 

    Hearing the crash and the growling, the last of the attackers spun around, finding himself surrounded and outnumbered. He didn't hesitate for a single second. 

 "I serve master Kefka," he chanted and dropped the dagger in his left hand. 

    Before anyone even had realized what he was doing, he had grabbed the last dagger in both hands and pushed it into his own chest. 

    He fell to the floor, growling in pain for a moment. Then he became quiet. Locke and Celes lowered their weapons, breathing deeply. She was simply dressed in a light night tunic, and Locke only wore a pair of loose, soft pants. Now was not a moment for embarrassment, however.  

 "Good to see you," the husband grimly growled.

 "Art thee alright, my comrades?" Cyan gravely asked.

    They nodded. 

 "I awoke of that there was somebody else in the house," Celes said, "we just had time to get our hands on the swords from the wardrobe before they stormed in." 

 "Must be something about being pregnant that make her that sensitive," Locke grinned, draping his arm around Celes' shoulders and giving her a calming squeeze, "but we could have been in trouble if you guys hadn't showed up."

    The welcome guests exchanged glances.

 "They've got Umaro and Mog," Gogo grimly said. 

 "What?!"

    Celes and Locke stared at their tired, slightly relieved but mostly bitter friends. 

 "It seems as if they don't want to kill us yet," Strago concernedly said, "the moogles told Gau that our two friends had been drugged and brought away from Narshe unconscious."

 "I think they used the same kind of daggers," Setzer said. 

    He held up one of the thin daggers that lay on the floor, pointing at the edge. 

 "It smells of something, I think that it's some kind of sleeping drug or poison." 

 "But why would they want us alive?" Locke said, frowning. 

    Gogo crossed his arms. 

 "My brother had a twisted mind," he grimly said, "and it's quite clear that his worshippers are a group of dangerous fools. I fear that they think in almost the same way." 

    He shook his head, bitterly. 

 "We can only pray for our two poor friends."

 "Wait, if they want to have us alive," Relm slowly said, "then… maybe Shadow isn't dead? We don't have any real proof it, do we?"

 "You've got a point," Strago nodded with a weak smile at the rising hope in the girl's eyes. 

 "Still, the query haunts us," Cyan said, "what horrors dost the cult hath in store for us?"

    They all looked at him and shuddered, wishing he could have chosen to use other words. None of them was in the mood for such sayings. 

 "Hey, this one's still alive," Sabin said, holding up the cultist that he had knocked, "maybe we could ask him a few questions when he awakes. Let's tie him up and go to the Falcon, we have to warn Edgar."

    Celes tiredly looked around on the bloodshed in the room. 

 "Great… what about those bodies?" she said.

 "We'll just have to take them too. We haven't got time to clean it up better," Locke sighed, "just give me and Celes a moment to get our clothes." 

    Gogo bent down clenching his teeth, picked up one of the dead cultists and threw him over his shoulder. Cyan took the other without a word, while Sabin carried the living one. Celes hurriedly brought some proper clothes out of the wardrobe by the wall, and the guests moved out of the room to give the couple a moment to dress up.

 "Heard you are pregnant, my girl," Cid said, trying to smile and fight back his exhaust as they walked out of the house a short while later, "congratulations."

    Celes tried to smile back, but couldn't keep it on her lips. She locked the door and followed her friends through the sleeping town. Terra walked up beside her. 

 "How are you doing?" the half-esper carefully asked. 

    The blond woman sighed. 

 "I'll be fine. They had no time to hurt any of us, but we were pressed up against the wall as you first arrived. That was why we didn't shout as you knocked. Thank all good powers you came…" 

    The two women draped their arm around the each other's shoulders as they walked on. 

    Back on the Falcon Setzer found some ropes that he and Sabin used to securely tie the unconscious cultist with. Without his hood he showed to be a man in his forties, with thin, deeply brown hair. Sabin dropped him in the main room, where everyone could help out keeping an eye on him. The two bodies of the dead cultists were left up on the deck, until further notice. 

    By then Terra could have slept standing. She crashed on the sofa, heavily leaning back. 

 "Move…" Setzer muttered and sat down beside her. 

 "Could I have some room?" Sabin drowsily mumbled and placed himself between the gambler and Terra. 

 "Sure…" the woman muttered and fell asleep, leaning against the prince's arm. 

    Sabin didn't notice. He slept already. Setzer snored quietly, more or less lying on the elbow rest. Gau and Relm stole an armchair each, and Strago sat down on a chair. 

 "One of you will have to drive," he grumbled to the people left awake, "wake me up next week or so…" 

    Gogo, Cid, Celes and Locke exchanged tired glances as the old man also began to snore. 

 "I'll do it," the married man finally said. 

 "Wake me up in an hour," Gogo said and went to a free chair, "I'll take the next shift." 

 "Alright."

    Cid also walked over to a chair, tiredly. 

 "Hey, somebody have to guard the man there," he muttered, "I'll try to stay awake. You should sleep, Cel." 

    She shook her head. 

 "No, I got the idea that me and Locke are the ones of this troop who's slept most in the past days. You just rest, grandpa." 

    Cid shrugged his shoulders with a tired smile and closed his eyes as he leaned against the chair's back. Celes bent forward and touched Locke's cheek with her lips as he was about to start walking up the stairs to the deck. He sighed. 

 "I'm sorry, princess," he said, bitterly, "I wanted to protect you, but…"

 "I know, love."

    She managed a small smile. 

 "You only wanted the best to occur," she said, calming. 

    Locke carefully hugged her.

 "When this is over, I'll make it up to you," he said and gave a smile with a bit of mischief within, "I'll have you think that you're a queen. Don't strain yourself now, alright?"

    She nodded, and he released her to go and start up the airship. Celes sat down on the only chair left, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. Waking up in the middle of the night due to intruders doesn't leave you very alert when the shock has worn off. 

    The engines began to drone softly, and the Falcon shivered a bit as it rose into the air. 

    Locke rubbed his eyes as he stood by the wheel; it felt as if there was sand in them. What a night… ugh. Well, he couldn't fall asleep. 

    He began flying west, towards the other continent. It would take the whole night to reach Figaro castle there, they wouldn't be there until close to lunchtime. 

    But as the Falcon flew by the coast, Locke just happened to look north and noticed that there were lights shining from the desert. With a relieved sigh he turned the wheel, seeing that the castle was on its original place. 

    Soon they'd have their charming king in the troop too. 

 "Hey Sabin, wake up." 

 "Hmm?"

    The prince yawned and opened his eyes. His whole body ached after sleeping sitting in a sofa, yet it felt as if he hadn't got as much sleep there as he wanted. And his right arm was numb. As he tried to move it somebody mumbled something in protest, even as she was awakening. Sabin looked aside and to his great surprise found Terra's head on his shoulder. 

 "Come on, Sabin," Locke said, gravely, "we've landed by Figaro." 

    The bodybuilder looked up at his friend, frowning. Why didn't Locke comment the fact that Terra had fallen asleep like that, leaning at him? Why didn't the treasure hunter sneer something about "a cute couple"?

    Something was terribly wrong. 

 "What's going on?" Sabin asked, warily. 

    Locke opened his mouth, but was pushed aside by the chancellor of Figaro. 

 "Sir Sabin, you must hurry to the castle," the older man grimly said. 

 "What's happening…?" Terra yawned and straightened up. 

    Nobody answered her. 

    Sabin's heart was turning cold as he looked at the silent chancellor. 

 "Edgar…?" he said, hardly able to speak the name. 

 "Come, Sir Sabin," the chancellor repeated, "_please_!" 

    Fifteen minutes later the prince's fists hit the table of the meeting hall in the castle. 

 "You can't be serious!" he exclaimed, "you _can't_ loose a king like that!" 

    General Herath was about to recoil into the wall as he met Sabin's furious gaze. 

 "The guards were drugged," he stuttered, "the kidnappers shot needles with poison at them…" 

 "Their techniques are getting very old and irritating very fast," Setzer growled, "still they work…"

    Sabin almost fell to his chair, rubbing his forehead. 

 "That cultist, the living one…" he growled, "I'll tear him into tiny bits of creep!"

    The chancellor carefully cleared his throat. 

 "The prisoner has been put into the prison, still unconscious," he said, "however, there is another, more urgent matter to attend to."

    Nobody liked the sound of that, warily turning to the chancellor. 

 "We don't know what has happened to His Majesty and lady Kanai," the man went on, feeling the landmines around his feet as Sabin very slowly straightened his neck again, "if, of course we don't know and we have to keep hope burning, but _if_…"

    He cleared his throat again. 

 "Sir Sabin, what I'm trying to say is that _you_ have to rule in your brother's absence."

 "Oh, no. No."

    Sabin's fists were shaking. His chair fell backwards as he exploded to his feet, making the chancellor and general Herath recoil on their seats. 

 "I can't believe it!" the prince roared, "it's just as when dad died, you only talked about who'd get the throne! It's pathetic! I loathe your cause, do you hear me?! Edgar's gone and you only care about the crown! Again! It's sickening!"

    He stormed out of the room, with curses flowing from his mouth. 

 "Sir Sabin!" the chancellor helplessly called.

    The assembled friends concernedly exchanged glances. After a painfully drawn silence, Setzer turned to Terra. 

 "Maybe you should talk to him," the gambler awkwardly said, "try to calm him and so…"  

 "Me?" the young woman said, confused. 

    But as Setzer nodded without another word, she stood up and hurried after the enraged prince. 

    There was another long silence. 

 "I'm sorry," the chancellor muttered, "but it had to be said. Sir Sabin has to face his responsibility."

 "We understand that," Gogo slowly said to everyone's slight surprise, "but we all know that Sabin never wanted to be a ruler. And…" 

    His voice became so bitter that it was pure torture to hear it. 

 "Loosing a twin brother in any way, be he dead or not, hurts in a way that nobody can understand. Sabin might have problems facing the coming battles with his usual spirit."

 "But he can't leave for battles, we need him here…"

 "I would advice you not to push him, Sir."

    The chancellor sighed deeply and lowered his head. Cid silently placed his hand on Gogo's shoulder. 

    There was a knock on the door. A guard carefully looked into the room. 

 "Excuse me," he hesitatingly said, "but the prisoner that Sir Sabin and his friends brought here has awakened." 

 "Well then," Cyan grimly said and stood up, "we shall ask him a few questions."


	7. Mimicking madness

Chapter 6

After hesitating about where she would look, Terra hurried to the room she remembered as Sabin's. There were no guards by the door, but she knocked anyhow. 

 "Go away!" the prince's voice growled from inside. 

 "It's me, Sabin," Terra said, "but I'll leave if you want to be alone…"

    At first there was no answer. Then, very slowly and almost too silent for her to hear it: 

 "Come in, then."

    She opened the door and closed it behind her as she had entered the room. Sabin was sitting in an armchair, furiously rubbing the back of his neck with both hands. 

 "I can't believe it," he snarled, "I just _can't believe it_! They don't even care about what has happened to Edgar!"

 "You know that's not true," Terra carefully said, slowly crossing the floor, "they are only worried that something more could happen to the kingdom…"

 "Father got killed by the empire," Sabin bitterly growled, "and now I might have lost my brother to a group of mad cultists of the same rotten cause! And the people here, they only see me as a damn heir! It's as if none of us really matter because we're royalty! We're just some kind of puppets to put on the pretty throne…" 

    He fell silent and sighed as Terra put her hand on his shoulder. 

 "I guess I was pretty childish back there," he muttered, "but I don't care. I can't find words for it… sickening."

    Shaking his head, he put his hand over Terra's. 

 "I wasn't ever fit to be a prince, Terra. It was a mistake."

 "No… I'm sure that you'd be a great king if you'd have to. But we'll find Edgar safe and sound, so that he can save you from it."

 "I hope so."

    Sabin shook his head. 

 "The throne is just dirt to me," he muttered, "but Edgar is my brother."

    He looked up at his female friend, with pain shining darkly in his eyes. 

 "He's a part of me, Terra," he bitterly said, "we have to find him."

 "We will," she ensured him, "I promise we will."

    Sabin looked into her eyes for a moment, trying to sort out his inner pandemonium by searching for something to focus on in those green gems. Then he suddenly stood up and pulled her into a hug. It happened so quickly that Terra had no time to react. She just found her palms and cheek against his warm chest, with Sabin's arms encircling her back. 

 "Thanks, Terra," he muttered through clamped teeth, in a strange voice.    

 "You… you're welcome," she mumbled, slightly stuttering. 

    What was he doing? And why? Only to search something to lean onto? She didn't know. What was she supposed to do now? She didn't know that either. 

    She wished that she could have asked her father, but he wasn't talking to her mind for the moment, and she could by no means even try to contact him in her confusion. Maybe later… later? After what? 

    Should she be afraid? No, why? Sabin was her friend, so why would she be scared? But he had never held her like this, no one had. She hadn't thought anyone would, and… what did it mean? 

    There were so many things that she didn't know about. But maybe it wasn't really that important to know everything. She had felt unsure many times, worrying and uncertain about the next step. 

    It never became easier, though…

 "Did I make you nervous?" Sabin muttered. 

    Terra hesitated for half a second. Well?

 "I don't think so," she mumbled, "I'm not sure."

 "I'm just so tired and worried and… there's been so much, suddenly, lately," Sabin said in a low voice, "and I'm the brute of the troop and definitely not a king."

    She just shook her head without a word. Simply knowing that he didn't need more than that she was right there for him. That right then, he needed her and her support. Maybe even more than the support of any of his other friends. 

    Her arms went around his waist by themselves. Well, did that mean anything? 

    What is really important, of all this?

    Sabin is. 

    His fingertips moved carefully against her back. 

 'I'm just the brute of the troop. This is Edgar's area…' Sabin thought, almost lazily.  

    Edgar.

    Have to find him.

    The prince looked down, and Terra looked up. 

 "Thanks for coming," he sincerely said, "I appreciate it."

 "Anytime, Sabin," she said with a small smile. 

    There was a knock on the door, and they hastily released each other. 

 "Yes?" Sabin called. 

    Gau looked into the room. 

 "Bad man awake," he grimly said, "friends ask him questions, but no answer. Come?"

 "Of course."

    Gau hurried off, slamming the door shut. Sabin and Terra exchanged glances. 

 "Talk afterwards?" she suggested.

 "Yeah. Let's go," Sabin nodded. 

    As they came to the castle's prison, they found most of their friends assembled around the bound cultist. It was just a question of patience and stubbornness. 

 "I will tell you nothing," the man growled. 

    There was something empty in his eyes, as if he had no soul or mind of his own. As if his mad belief spoke through him. A true extremist.

 "We don't have time for this," Setzer coldly said, "where are our friends, and what are you planning to do with them?"

 "You will find out that in time yourselves, sinners," the cultist sneered, "when you are together."

    Gogo was leaning against the wall, behind the backs of his friends. When Sabin and Terra passed him, he reached out a hand and touched the prince's arm. There was a burning compassion in the mimicker's eyes, forcing Sabin to stand still. Terra also stopped as the two men watched each other for a moment.  

 "Gogo…" Sabin finally said in a low voice. 

    The clothed figure slowly shook his head. 

 "Edgar's alive, my friend," he said, "we'll find him."

    Sabin took the gloved hand. 

 "Gogo, you must have had a Hell."

 "I still have, but I'll live. Just remember what's important."

    Sabin grimly nodded. He and Terra made their way past the guards and friends. The cultist met the gaze of the prince with cold derision. 

 "My brother," Sabin said, "where is he?"

 "You will know, sinner," was the scornful answer. 

 "Am I a sinner?" the prince calmly asked.

 "Indeed. You helped driving the great master out of this world."

 "We didn't drive him anywhere. We killed him. Two times, even."

    All those who knew about it had the nerve not to throw a glance at Gogo. 

 "The master did not die," the cultist spat out, "your words only push you deeper into the darkness, sinner."

 "I think I'm as deep as I'll get," Sabin said, "and he died, trust me."

 "You are wrong, sinner. He will return soon to claim this world as his."

 "And how, good heavens, will he do that?"

 "You will find out."

 "If I'm going to find out, why don't you tell me right now to make it simpler for all of us?"

    The cultist snorted. 

 "I shall tell you naught," he said, "you won't understand it all before the time has come."

 "And when would that be?" Celes asked, frustrated, "it has something to do with the fact that you've taken our friends alive, hasn't it?"

    No answer. 

 "I think you hit the right button, love," Locke grimly said. 

 "Where are our friends?" Relm snapped, "is Shadow alive?"

 "I won't tell you anything, sinners."

 "What are you planning?" Terra stubbornly asked. 

    The cultist turned to her with a cold smirk. 

 "Ah, Terra Branford," he said, "your death will be the most painful of all. Master Kefka himself will see to that you get what you deserve, you little esper whore."

    Many mouths opened in rage, but there suddenly was a loud crash of metal against stone floor. 

 "These silly games tires me," a screeching voice sneered, "it's time for the truth to be revealed, my follower!" 

    Quite a few people spun around to stare, only finding Gogo without his helmet. Unseen by the cultist, he made a desperate grimace and waved at his friends to back off. Seeing prince Sabin obey the move, the guards also did so, mostly in shock. As the bodies moved, Gogo put on a face of mockery superciliousness just before the tied up man got his eyes on him. The cultist's jaw was about to hit the floor. 

 "Ma-master Kefka!?" he harshly stuttered. 

 "It seems so, doesn't it?" Gogo screeched. 

    He crossed the floor and sneered at the stunned cultist, pointing at his marked cheek. 

 "Fresh and alive, with only this petty scar here as a memory of the battle against these fools. I am truly pleased that you have stayed true to me!"

    The cultist opened his mouth, but Gogo stopped him by waving with a finger just in the way that Kefka always had done.

 "However, sadly," he said, "I lost a lot of my power as I was… temporarily thrown down. I have regained some of it by now, as you can see."

    He pointed at the other, silent people in the room. That they didn't make any attempt to attack "the master" was obviously proof enough for the cultist. 

 "Yet I had no knowledge of that you were still true to me, my follower," Gogo continued, "and I am most pleased to see your plans at work. As you understand, I wish to seek out the place of my trustful servants to join you and give you my blessing leadership, but my powers are still too weakened to find my way by myself. Here is why I let you get caught; I need your help."

 "Of course, master Kefka!" the cultist said, almost breathless, "we have taken our hideout in the mountains south of the tower we built to your honor, the main entrance to our caves are two kilometers from the sacred ground where we once walked, sending our prayers to you. Then there are two smaller entrances on the other, outer side of the south mountains. All to confuse possible invaders."

 "Good, good," Gogo nodded, sneering with satisfaction, "and I take it you've got a lot of traps there, considering your great victory of catching the assassin Shadow."

 "Indeed, master Kefka. It's impossible to avoid all the triggers and the brothers guarding the tunnels, as the assassin Shadow found out and still grieves about in his cell. We have a complete labyrinth there, and none of us except the three high priests know the entire layout. It's made to only let you pass safety without help, master, because you are the only one who could make it. If your powers aren't enough yet, then I fear that I cannot help you further."

 "I'll make it, trust me," Gogo sneered.  

    He thoughtfully pursed his mouth. 

 "Tell me, this should be juicy, what have you got in store for my enemies? I love new, fresh ideas." 

 "Our plan was to sacrifice them after taking them all captive, and thereby restore you and help you return to our world," the cultist explained, "but as you already are back, master, we could of course do it anyway to honor you." 

    Gogo nodded. 

 "Thank you for your help," he said, "this have truly aided me a lot."

    He turned around and dropped the aura he had put up, burying his face in his hands. 

 "There you have it," he muttered, "I leave the rest to you."

 "Who'll have the honor?" Locke sneered. 

 "I will!" Relm grinned. 

    She scornfully bowed to the confused cultist. 

 "Presenting to you, mister," she sneered and pointed at the man standing in the center of the room, "the great mimic Gogo, your master's twin brother."

    The roar following almost made the castle shake, until Sabin with great satisfaction gave the cultist a knocking out hit in the back of his head. 

 "Thank you, Gogo…" Terra quietly said and offered him his helmet, "you played his role well." 

    He shook his head and retied the veil to hide his face. 

 "I only did it to save time," he bitterly muttered, "and because I don't like it when people have sinister plans for my friends, especially not in my old name. Trust me, that was the first and _only_ time I _ever_ pretended to be Kefka."

    She noticed that his fingers were slightly shaking as he put the helmet over his head. 

 "Excuse me now," he muttered, "I think I'm going to have a hysterical breakdown."     

    He stumbled up the stair, out of the prison. 

 "I'll talk to him," Cid said and hurried after his old friend.

    Cyan crossed his arms with a concerned frown. 

 "Now then," he said, "how canst we proceed? With a labyrinth and traps, we face an ordeal."

 "This task require careful planning, indeed," Strago nodded. 

    He frowned. 

 "Cyan, what you've got is contagious!" 

 'May I be of service?' a voice inside of Terra's head suddenly smiled. 

 'Father?' she thought. 

 'Who else?'

    Maduin gave a soft laugh. Then he turned back to business.  

 'Listen, Terra. I can't enter your world, but my mind can move around a small radius from you. I can find the traps, if you and your friends find a way of not getting lost.'

 "My father says that he can somehow help us with the traps," Terra reported aloud, "but not with the labyrinth." 

    The group of friends exchanged concerned glances. 

 "Hey," Gau suddenly said, "me read about guy down in labyrinth! He had long yarn, tied by the entrance, not getting lost!"

    There was a silence. 

 "Good one, boy!" Setzer finally grinned, "that's it!"

 "We'll get them for sure," Sabin smirked and hit his palm with his fist, "all's set, then?"

 "Hold it!" Strago sharply said, "this might sound cold, but we should rest at least one day before we go anywhere. Most of us are tired half to death; we're not fit to enter a dangerous labyrinth."

 "But Edgar…" the prince began, frowning.

 "They won't do him or anyone else of our friends anything before they have all of us," the old man calmly pointed out, "they're safe for now."

 "But what about lady Kanai?" Sabin said, "she wasn't with us in the battle."

    Strago shook his head. 

 "We won't be any match in these conditions," he said, "if we're going to help _anyone_, we have to sleep through a whole night and prepare well."

 "It's no nice thought," Celes nodded, "but he's right. We need to rest and get ourselves proper equipment."

    Sabin found that the mass spoke against him and gave up, really knowing they were right. 

 "Alright," he said, "we can surely find something in the armory for everyone, and we'll…"

    A guard tapped on his shoulder. 

 "Excuse me, prince Sabin," the man helplessly said, "but, err… what's going on? Who was that… err… Kefka?"

    Sabin turned around, frowning. 

 "Haven't you heard it already? I was sure that the rumor from that time when he revealed his secret…"

    A lot of heads shaking was the answer.

 "Oh. It's a long story."

 "Please do tell it, Sir." 

 "Gogo!"

    He turned to see Cid. Then he turned away again, staring at the desert from the top of the center tower of Figaro castle. The sand seemed to burn in the light of the rising sun.

 "How are you?" the mechanic carefully asked. 

 "A bit sick, but I'll survive."

 "Must have taken a lot of strength."

 "Anger, actually. I couldn't take it that he called Terra an 'esper whore'. I guess I've got a weakness when it comes to her."

    He sighed, idly scratching the cloth covering his scar. 

 "Please don't do that, it makes me nervous," Cid shuddered.

 "Hmm? Oh, I've still got this habit, despite what happened…" Gogo absentmindedly mumbled. 

    They were silent for a while. 

 "Cid, I need to ask you for a favor," the mimic suddenly said. 

 "And what would that be, my friend?"

    Gogo turned his head and grimly looked at the Falcon, which was resting below a sand dune about thirty yards from the castle. 

 "I need you to help me with something," the mimic slowly said, "because I fear for the safety of our friends." 


	8. Half blood and bodybuilder?

Chapter 7

There was a knock on the door. Terra put her hairbrush down. 

 "Who is it?" she called. 

 "It's me," Sabin's voice answered before the guards had any time to do it for him, "can I come in?"

    A lot of thoughts passed through Terra's head during half a second. She wondered what Sabin really wanted from her, and what she wanted from him. And she wished that she could have spoken with Celes about all these new thoughts that had begun to spin in her head when she had pushed the cult out of her brain. When she'd had time to ponder it, she could hardly believe that Sabin actually had embraced her. Why would he do that? Was she more than a friend to him, just like that? And was he more than a friend to her? That "body builder escaped from his gym"… Sabin? 

    No, no. She was a half esper. She knew nothing about anything of that that Locke, Celes and Edgar had mastered. It wasn't her world. It wasn't for her. It would never be. She had the love of her children, and that was all she'd get. Besides, she didn't feel anything like that towards Sabin, nothing like she felt for her kids. 

    Are you nuts? Do you really think that would be similar? 

    How should _I_ know?

    Well, what is it, then?

    What had Celes told her?

    Umm… nothing. Terra knew nothing. 

    Did she feel anything special about Sabin, something that wasn't like what she felt for… say Relm. 

    Now you're back by the kids! It can't be the same! Back and try again!

    Something that wasn't like what she felt for… Mog?

    Get real! Someone of your friends _as similar to Sabin as possible_!

    Something that wasn't like what she felt for Setzer? Or Edgar? Or Locke?

    That's better. So, what's the answer?

    None of them are like Sabin! They are all different!

    Well then, how am I going to know? 

    Father, help!

    But Maduin had left her mind for the evening. 

 "It's alright, come in!" she called. 

    What did he want, really? Why would he care more for her then anyone else, he wasn't that kind of man that…

    Didn't _you_ tell him to stop saying those kind of things to himself? 

    Augh!

    Sabin closed the door behind him, looking carefully at her.

 'What are you doing?!' he thought, almost panicking, 'why are you here? Are you trying to make something up? Why did you have to hug her back there, it only made her nervous! A normal "thank you" had been enough! _This isn't your kind of thing_, it never was!'

    _What_ isn't my kind of thing? 

    Women!

    It's nothing that has to do with "women", it's about Terra!

    Oh, _what_ about her?

    Err…

    He hadn't the slightest clue.

    Terra wore her normal clothes, but had released her hair from the ponytail. Now her shoulders were hidden below a thin, green cloak.   

 "Hi," she said, carefully. 

 "Hi."

    Sabin cleared his throat. 

    _Well_!?

 "I, uh…" 

    Face it. You're a brute, the Neanderthal man of the group. You're the one with the "stupid muscles" and the small brain. The only thing that makes any difference from Umaro is that you can speak a bit better and don't have any fur. Terra is a little fairy in compare to you. If you touch her, she'll break. And why would you like to touch her anyhow? If she was meant for anybody you know, it's surely not you! Now shape up and stop acting and thinking like a fool!   

 "I just… wanted to thank you for coming to talk with me earlier," Sabin said, trying hard to produce a smile, "I needed it."

 "No problem," she said with the shadow of a smile. 

    They watched each other in silence for a moment. 

 "I've been thinking about Gogo too," Sabin said, keeping his mind away from what had happened in his room, "I feel awful enough with Edgar gone, but he was…"

    He fell silent and sighed with a frown. Terra nodded. 

 "Yes, I guess he must have had a terrible time," she said. 

 "I can't understand how Kerr could do it," Sabin muttered, "twins don't betray each other like that! I mean, I wouldn't ever even _lie_ to Edgar…"

    He sighed again.

 "But on the other hand, we all know what kind of person Kerr… Kefka was. It's just that… I can't grasp the thought of it, now that I face a risk to loose my own brother, I… I'm just babbling."   

 "No," Terra said and stood up, walking over to him and putting her hand on his arm, "you're just worried about Edgar."

    Sabin slowly nodded. 

 "Yeah. And I thought that it's not fair. He had just found someone to really love, and then they both get captured by some idiots dressed in dark robes who thinks that an even bigger idiot ever cared about them."

 "When it comes to Edgar you just drop that muscled, so called 'stupid' side and become something more than a warrior," Terra said in a comforting voice, "it's alright to be 'babbling'. I understand; we all do."

 "Thanks… err…"

    He looked down at her with a strangely hesitating expression in his eyes. 

 "Hey, Terra… you sure it was okay that I hugged you before?" he tentatively asked. 

    She watched him for a moment before nodding. 

 "We've been friends for a long time, Sabin," she said with a careful smile, "if you're afraid that you were rude, you weren't."

    His tongue slipped away by itself. 

 "Would you mind if I… did it again?" 

    He felt his ears change color. 

    _What_ did I say?!

    Terra more or less stared at him at first, and that hurt. He didn't want to embarrass her, he hadn't even considered saying something that stupid. Of all silly things ever spoken, that must have been meant for the history books. 

 'What does he mean?' Terra thought, almost panicking, 'why would he like to do that? We're just friends, right?'

    Right. Or?

    Was it important?

    Stop asking yourself that all the time! Things are important if _you_ think they are! 

    In that case… it was. More than anything before it. 

 "No, it would be alright," she heard herself say, "really, Sabin."

    She reached up and put her arms around his neck, not knowing why or how or if it was the right thing to do. He stared down at her for a short moment. 

    God, he had always thought that she was pretty. From that very first moment she had called him an escaped bodybuilder. But back then, he had thought that she was merely a kid, and he hadn't cared much about women or similar things back then; only interested in training; free from his responsibilities as a prince. But Terra wasn't a child, by no means, and he had grown to change a bit. He knew nothing about these kind of things, whether he could name them or not. But on the other hand, neither did she. So maybe it wasn't really a problem.

    He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, carefully. Come on, you know she isn't a little fairy. You have seen her fight. And she's not just plain pretty. Just look at that flowing hair and the deep, gem eyes. 

    Feeling her warmth was… nice. He couldn't find a better word for it. 

    Maybe he wasn't on Edgar's area after all. His brother had his desire of passionate, direct relationships. Hunting. Hungry.  

    Terra rested her head at Sabin's chest. He had always been a cliff, nearly as strong as Umaro. Almost always able to drop a line which cheered everyone else up. She had always liked him. 

    Remembering that day when Katarin and Duanehad been separated because he didn't know how to handle her being pregnant… they had come to try to get her, Terra, back again; Celes, Edgar, Setzer and Sabin. But she hadn't felt strong enough yet. And Phunbaba had attacked again. Terra had been hiding inside, feeling ashamed and weak, looking out the window. But then suddenly, the monster had sneezed Edgar and Setzer away, leaving the last two rather outnumbered. But they had kept fighting, even though Phunbaba had the upper hand. Terra hadn't been able to see her friends battling against such odds, she didn't want them to be killed! And rushing out to Celes and Sabin, she had desperately morphed into her esper form, filling herself with strength and power that she could control completely.  

    Sabin had thumped her back as they left Mobliz for the Falcon. 

 "Good to have you back, Terra!" he had said, breaking her newly built grim warrior's mask. 

    Good to be back. With him and all the others. 

    Good to be there, against his warm chest. And that tickling inside of her, was that… maybe…? 

    She knew that he thought that he thought that he was a "bear", that he was the brute standing in Edgar's shadow. Well, she had never fancied Edgar in the way that he had wanted her to. He had known it, but never given up. That was Edgar. He took up more space than all the other men in the troop did together. And he cherished knowing that. Maybe the king of the two had a more distinct handsomeness and well trained charm. But that was Edgar, and Sabin wasn't him. 

    Sabin was… sweet. He was gentle and caring and… well, sweet. You could always count on him, whatever happened. He'd even almost broken his own hand to cheer up a bunch of kids. Who, except him, would do such a thing? 

    Terra smiled to herself. 

    She felt Sabin move his head a little, exactly how she felt it she couldn't explain. But she looked up at him to give him a careful smile. 

    He looked down at her, still seeming a bit confused and surprised. 

    Then, all of a sudden, he lowered his head and his lips covered hers. 

    At first Terra froze completely of surprise. 

    What?!

    Oh, come on. Didn't you want him to do that? Really? Didn't you want to know what love was, eh?

    But… Sabin?

    Why not? Thought you liked him…  

    Yeah, why not Sabin? Nothing's wrong with him. He's just as unsure about love as I am. So is this what I've sought and hoped for? This close, all the time?  

    She relaxed again and secured her grip of his neck, feeling that tickling inside begin to dance. Was it really true…?

    He moved back after a moment, carefully looking down at her and searching for some kind of anger or blame. But Terra just smiled, a bit tentatively.   

 "I…" Sabin mumbled, but his brain had no information to give his tongue. 

    Suddenly he felt that somebody looked at him, and turned his head to meet Locke's stare. 

 "Am I seeing what I'm seeing?" the married man said, almost shocked.

 "Oh, hi Locke," Sabin said, emotionless. 

    Terra also looked at the unexpected visitor, very unsure about how she should react. 

    Locke's eyes wandered between the two of them a couple of times before he cleared his throat. 

 "Well, I only came to ask if Celes could borrow your hairbrush, Terra… so I should…" 

    His voice trailed off, and he just watched Sabin and Terra for a moment. 

    Then he began to laugh. 

    He had to lean against the wall. 

 "Oh God, _you_?!"

 "I think I'm going to break something inside of you," Sabin said, but he couldn't help grinning. 

 "Please, save that until tomorrow, when I've told everyone…" Locke gasped, trying to breath through the laughs escaping his chest, "then you'll want to kill me even more! God grief, my stomach…"

 "Locke…" Terra began, but couldn't help smiling. 

    He tried to pull himself together. 

 "Alright, alright," he smirked, almost able to fight the laughter back but not fully, "I'll be nice, I promise… good night, love birds."

    He left the room, still chuckling. 

 "He'll tell them," Sabin said.   

 "Yeah. Right away," Terra nodded. 

 "I can still catch him and ask him un-nicely to keep quiet."

 "Break his arms or something…"

 "I was considering something like that, yes…"

    They exchanged glances and smiled, shaking their heads. 

    Nah. 

 "Maybe tomorrow," Terra mumbled, leaning her head against Sabin's chest again. 

 "Yeah."

    Was this right? Sure felt that way, anyhow… 

    It felt good to allow all troubles to leave for a while. He had been about to got crazy before he went over to Terra's room. He'd known that if anybody could help him escape his private torture, it would be she. Because… well… and he had to apologize to her too. At least he had thought that he needed to do that. But maybe that apology only had been his final excuse to go visit her. He had hesitated for a long while. 

    But now it felt like he'd have to force himself away again. Why would he want to do that, anyhow…? Right, needed to sleep. Typical…

    In a moment. 

    Soon.

    Not right now. 

Celes looked up with raised eyebrows as Locke stumbled into their room, laughing. 

 "What's happened, love?" she asked, his laugh making her smile a bit by pure instinct even though she was puzzled. 

 "Ah…!" Locke gasped and more or less fell onto the bed as he sat down, "Celes, you won't believe this!" 

 "What?" she said and sat down beside him, already dressed in another evening gown than the one she had worn during the nightly attack.

    That piece of cloth had been a bit bloodied, and she didn't fancy wearing things with that kind of stains when she slept. Oh, she didn't even fancy wearing that kind of stuff when she was awake, even though there had been a time when that had been an everyday thing. But she was trying to push that time out of her memory. 

    Locke opened his mouth but began to laugh again. It took him a couple of times before he could more or less choke the news. 

 "Celes, Terra wasn't alone there… Sabin was with her. And they were kissing each other!"

    The blond woman's jaw dropped. 

 "What, _Sabin_?!" she gasped. 

 "Yep!" 

    Locke began to laugh again, pressing his arms against his stomach. 

 "Oh, I shouldn't be like this now…" he grinned, "not with the cult and all running wild… but I can't help it! Ha!"

    He stood up. 

 "Will you excuse me for a moment, love?" he said with an almost evil grin, "I must carry the torch of enlightenment to our other comrades. I shall return as soon as possible."

 "Go on," Celes smiled with a laugh of her own.

    As Locke came close to the door she called: 

 "But please, don't be to hard on the two of them, alright?" 

    He looked around and smiled widely. 

 "Who, me?"

    Then he winked with one eye and left again. 

    Celes just sat there, smiling at the door for a moment. She had probably been the one of Terra's friends who had hoped the most that love would finally come to the half-esper, once as starved on that feeling as the green-haired one. And well… it was a surprise, but there was absolutely nothing wrong with Sabin. He was a caring and strong man. And when one looked closer, he was quite handsome too. The only thing that could be a cloud on the blue sky would be that he was more than a few years older than Terra. But, on the other hand, love between people born in different decades wasn't _too_ uncommon.  

    It would surely work out fine. 

    A knock on the door disturbed Celes' ponderings. 

 "One moment!" she called and reached for a thin morning coat that she luckily had thrown into the light bag brought from her and Locke's house. 

 "It's me, my girl!" Cid's voice called from the other side of the wall and door. 

    Celes hurriedly draped the coat over her shoulders. 

 "Alright grandpa, you can come in!"

    She frowned as he pushed the door open. His eyes shone with exhaust even though he fought to keep it down, and there were dark spots of oil on his hands and on the sleeves of his shirt. 

 "Have you been working?" Celes grimly said and hurried over to him to give him support, "you shouldn't do that when you already were so tired, grandpa!"

 "Oh, I'll be fine," he said and tried to smile, "there was just a bug down in the machine room and…"

 "At your age…" the woman of the two sighed and rolled her eyes, "well, what brought you here?" 

 "I just wanted to say that if there's anything at all that I can help you with, you just tell me," Cid grimly said, "I'll do all I can to stop those madmen."

    Celes examined his tired eyes for a moment. Then she nodded. 

 "Yes, there is something that you can do," she said, "go to sleep and don't get up until you're truly well rested."

 "Not exactly what I meant, my girl," the mechanic calmly said. 

 "I know, but it's the only thing I want you to do. Don't even get up to say good-bye tomorrow, we'll leave very early. I want you to take care of yourself now, alright?"

    Cid gave her an exhausted smile and slowly nodded. 

 "Alright then. Good-bye and good luck, my dear girl."

    Celes gave him a hug, ignoring the oil. 

 "We'll be fine, grandpa. Don't worry about us," she told him.

 "No, I know you people can take care of yourselves," he smiled, "good night."

 "Good night."

    As Celes closed the door, she shook her head. That man, that man… he'd work until he dropped dead of age, and then his ghost would come back and keep working. He was just hopeless. 

    When Locke came back, still smiling widely, she told him about Cid. 

 "He's just worried about you, pretty one," the thief said with a shrug of his shoulders, "guess he wish that he could help us out more."

 "Yes, you're probably right. But he's just impossible…"

 "Aren't we all?"

    Locke smiled and began to work himself out of his shirt. 

 "Mad grandpas and love stories or not, we should get to bed. It'll probably be a hard day tomorrow."

 "Yeah…"

    Celes laid down and draped the blanket around herself. 

 "Say Locke," she mumbled as he also laid down, "don't you ever get a feeling that you just want to scream at them to disappear, all our enemies?"

    He removed his headband and threw it at the chair where he had left his day-clothes. Then he replied. 

 "Yes, I do," he sighed, "even though I know it won't help, it's tempting in some moments."

    Celes silently wrapped her arms around him and got a smooth kiss placed on the tip of her nose. 

 "But let's skip the screaming and just kick their butts for the time being," Locke mumbled with a smile. 

    She managed to smile back and nodded. 

 "And then we'll go home, and we'll have our child," she said. 

    Locke's smile turned even softer and he wrapped his own arms around her. 

 "Yep," he said in a low voice, "and then we'll have at least two more, deal?"

    Celes had to laugh and nodded. 

 "Deal. At least two more. But right now we have to sleep."

 "Yes. Good night, princess."

 "Good night, love."


	9. Into the darkness

Chapter 8

Sabin awoke because somebody was knocking on the door. 

 "Wha'zit?" Sabin grumbled. 

 "Rise and shine, lover boy! We have a cult to finish off!"

    Setzer and Locke went into the room and smirked at the sleepy prince. 

 "What are you doing here in your own room, all alone, by the way?" Setzer merrily asked. 

 "You're all mad…" Sabin grunted and got out of his bed, only dressed in a pair of grey, loose pants. 

 "Hey, you won the shyest heart of all, and we don't get to tease you?" Locke grinned. 

 "Go and get equipped or married or whatever…" the prince muttered and rubbed his face with his hand. 

 "A little embarrassed, are we?"

    Sabin glared at them.

 "Are you two going to be like this for the rest of my life from now on?" he asked. 

 "Yep."

    The prince groaned silently. 

    A while later the whole group met on the Falcon, even though Sabin had been bothered with the chancellor's pleas to stay. Out of the question. 

    After considering it, Relm had decided that Interceptor wasn't in the condition to climb mountains and sneak around inside of a labyrinth filled with triggers. So to many in the castle's despair she had decided that it was better that the dog stayed there. Not hearing any protests from the soldiers and servants, even though many had been grieving.

    There seemed to be a bit of a split attention being shared by everyone on the airship. Sabin and Terra exchanged tired glances several times before she had enough.

 "For God's sake, we'll be an easy prey if we don't concentrate!" she snapped at the rest of crew after yet another furtive, mischief filled glance from Strago, "you never acted like this about Locke and Celes!"

 "But that wasn't any surprise!" Relm grinned, "except for Edgar, of course…"

 "Right!" Sabin said, managing to once again push away all his worries, "so we have to focus on saving him so that we can give him the next shock of his life." 

    That brought everyone to laugh, except for Gogo, of course. As usual, his eyes simply smiled a little in the thin crack between the two veils of his. 

    That's it. Don't worry about the captured friends. They are alive and well, and we're going to save them just like that. Focus on that. 

 "So, let's discuss how we're going to do this," Terra said, smiling, "and stop being silly, guys."

 "Alright, alright…"

    Setzer cleared his throat. 

 "So, we have three entrances. That shows that these people more or less _wants_ to be found, or at least wants that people -we- should fall into their traps in the labyrinth. But we have Maduin's help, and I have gotten us four yarns each, and that must be enough for the whole lair. There can't be endless tunnels, unless they've dug themselves below the surface of the planet itself. And I doubt they've had that kind of time. In need, we'll just turn back."

 "What if they find and cut our yarns?" Celes pointed out. 

 "I will try to keep up making a simple map as we walk on," Relm proudly said, "as an insurance."

 "Still, this is almost at the same rate as Kefka's tower," Strago grimly pointed out, "and we lack some skills this time. But is that going to scare us, eh?"

 "Nope!" everyone resolutely said. 

 "Good. Now then, where are we going in?" the old man said. 

 "There's two entrances on the outer side of the ring and one inside of it," Setzer summed, "and if you'd care for my intuition we should take the inner."

 "Sure, why not, mister Gambler…" Locke murmured.  

 "Art we ready, then?" Cyan grimly said, "is everyone equipped?"

 "I think we're as ready as we'll ever get," Sabin concluded, "let's go."

    Setzer went over to the wheel and turned the key. With the familiar drone, the Falcon began to rise towards the sky. 

    They were off. 

    Most of the crew went downstairs to rest and to try to prepare themselves psychologically for what awaited them. Sabin walked away to the stem of the airship, silently watching the ground below turn into ocean. 

    He didn't have to turn around as he heard the footsteps. He recognized the sound of Terra. Was that how it was being in love? Always knowing when the other one was close by? It was almost as his closeness to Edgar, and yet completely different. 

    Once again, his mind slipped over to Gogo, even though Terra's presence called for attention. Absentmindedly, as if asking for forgiveness for that he couldn't concentrate on her so much as he wished to, he wrapped his left, muscled arm around her shoulders. 

    But ever since Edgar disappeared, Sabin had been unable to stop thinking about the clothed mimic. He couldn't let go of the thought about how Kefka had lost his brother. Couldn't stop imagine what kind of despair and shock the poor man must have gone through when he realized who had sent him to his doom. And then having to watch Kerr… no, he had been Kefka. The one who had used to be Kefka was Gogo now. They had all agreed on that. Having to watch Kefka's madness and his pleasure of killing… knowing that what once had been a part of him no longer was human. 

    But he still had strength to live on. 

    Sabin looked over his shoulder to watch the figure in the bright clothes, standing by the railing with his back at the wheel. The winds played with his robes, made the feathers on his helmet wave, swing. 

    He had always looked somehow alone. Even in the heat of battles. But right then, Sabin thought that he saw something else. A flame of determination had always been somewhere inside of Gogo during the battles in the World of Ruin. But the one that Sabin sensed now was somehow different. Not less strong, but something was different. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, but it was… something. 

 "Hey Sabin!" Setzer suddenly called, "get over here and take the wheel! Gogo, come here!"

    The prince let go of Terra, puzzled. Together they went over to the wheel as the clothed figure and the owner of the airship went over to the stern, looking down at the propellers.   

 "Something wrong?" Terra called as Sabin put his hands on the wheel. 

 "I can't seem to reach full speed!" Setzer called over his shoulder, frowning, "and there's something with the sound of the engine…"

 "Come on," Gogo muttered with his usual, muffled voice and hurried downstairs, followed by the albino man. 

    Sabin and Terra watched them go. 

    They were silent for a moment. Then the woman of them took a deep breath and released it slowly. 

 "You coming back to Mobliz afterwards?" she mumbled. 

    The prince looked down with a warm smile.

 "I'm pretty sure I will," he said. 

    Terra smiled a little without looking at him and wrapped her arm around his waist, almost tentatively. She wasn't really used to the situation, and Sabin understood that. He wasn't either. This wasn't the best time to fall in love in. They needed some peace to realize it all. He just hoped that loss of his frustration wouldn't change what he felt for Terra; that she wasn't simply somebody he needed to lean onto for a short while. 

    No. No, no. 

    He had thought that she was beautiful and a great company for a long time. She was smart and strong too. And he loved her. Indeed. 

    Carefully he placed an arm around her shoulders and squeezed them for half a second. It felt nice to have her there. 

    Behind them, unnoticed, Relm stood in the stair, peeking up through the hole in the floor. 

 "Well?" Celes grinned. 

 "Just holding one arm around the other one," the young artist whispered. 

    She scratched her head and began to smile as she kept watching the couple. 

 "Somebody get my sketch pad and a pencil!" she hissed, "hurry, hurry, hurry!"

    Her grandpa chuckled in a low voice as he handed her the tools and she immediately began to work on a picture. 

 "Hey Relm," Locke said with raised eyebrows, "I remember you making a sketch of me and Celes after we got the Phoenix. You promised us a painting."

 "You'll get it when the kid's born," Relm mumbled, absentmindedly, "and that goes for the two of them over there too…"

 "My, my, my…"

    All grins disappeared as Gogo and Setzer came out of the machine room, however. Relm was the only one who didn't care the slightest.    

 "Art there any problems?" Cyan asked. 

    Setzer pursed his mouth and Gogo shook his head. 

 "Seems like I should have changed a cable a couple of weeks ago," the gambler reported, "we won't crash, but we'll be a bit slower than usual."

 "Don't you have any new cable to replace it with?" Strago wondered. 

 "No, sorry. I'll need to get to Narshe to get one. They use the same kind of cables in the engines of the machines pulling the wagons in their mines."

    He shrugged his shoulders. 

 "Well, I believe that we'll be at least one and a half hour later than planned, maybe even more. Let's just see it as a bit more time to prepare ourselves."

 "Optimist…" Strago muttered, but didn't really mean to be rude. 

    In the end it actually took them about two hours more than planned. But finally they landed by the dark tower. It stood silent and abandoned, looking grim even in the sunlight. The ground around it lacked vegetation, as if the earth itself loathed the tower. 

    None of the warriors said a word to each other. They only went off the Falcon and began walking towards the mountains. 

 "Do you guys think there'll be any guards?" Locke thoughtfully said as he began the climbing walk up on the rocks leading to the cliffs above, "or will they just let us walk in?"     

 "Who knows?" Strago said and looked over his shoulder, "hey Gogo, what do you think?"

    But the mimic just helplessly shook his head.

 "Great…" Locke muttered, "well, we'll just have to stay ready for anything."

    He sighed. 

 "And as you know, that was a very strong 'anything'."

 "How far from thee can Sir Maduin reach, Terra?" Cyan asked. 

 "One moment," Terra said and stopped climbing to close her eyes safely. 

 'How great is your reach, father?' she thought. 

 'Not very big, I'm afraid,' Maduin answered, 'only about ten feet from you.'

 "He can't scan the area," Terra reported, "we'll have to try the old sneaking and being on guard."

    The whole crew gravely nodded. 

    After half an hour of climbing they reached a plateau, and two paths on both sides of it. It was quite clear from the looks of the weak, trampled grass and the loss of stones lying around that the paths had been used much for some time. But on the stone ground there were no footsteps to follow in any direction. 

    The group of warriors assembled on the plateau to regain their breath. 

     Even if they had climbed a long way, the top of the tower was still above them. 

 "Well, where are we going now, then?" Celes asked. 

 "Splitting up is out of the question," Setzer grimly said, making everyone nod gravely. 

 "Come on, gambler," Locke said with a small smirk, "_feel_ us out of this situation!"

    Setzer snorted, but began turning his head to look at the two paths. After a few turns he pointed at the way to their left. 

 "As good as any direction," Sabin said with a shrug of his shoulders, "and this is when we should begin to sneak, right?"

 "Seems like love has planted some patience in you," Setzer grinned and began to walk. 

    They walked slowly, Locke and Setzer in the lead. Every turn of the cliff and path was passed with outmost care. 

    After one more half an hour, Locke held up a hand as he looked around another sharp corner. 

 "What is it?" Relm hissed as she and all the others stopped. 

    Locke shook his head, rolling his eyes. 

 "It's the good old cult, walking around in silent trance before a cave."

 "How many foes art there?" Cyan asked. 

 "About twenty."

    Locke pursed his mouth, watching the group of robed figures. 

 "You know what," he muttered, "I have a bad feeling that there are more cultists in this mountain than we have believed."

 "How many idiots can there be in this world?" Setzer growled. 

 "You should know that, you've probably fooled a few when playing cards with them," Sabin absentmindedly teased. 

 "Remember how they ran like sheep when we defeated that magician on top of their tower?" Celes pointed out, "I believe they work like weak animals hiding together behind somebody who's strong. If we can defeat their leaders, maybe…"

    But they all knew that sooner or later they'd had to see to that the whole cult left the face of the earth, forever. No one would be safe until Kefka and all who followed him were gone. 

    None of them wanted to speak out what all of them thought about. 

    What if there's too many for us to take on? We have no magic this time…

 "Do you think that we can just walk past them, like last time we encountered them?" Terra asked Locke, trying to pull herself together. 

 "Probably… or else they are the ones asking for it."

    He turned around. After a moment of considering the odds everyone nodded. They had to somehow get in to save their friends. In peace or war… there would surely be battles at some point. In any case, they would get in. 

    After getting their weapons ready they went around the corner to see what Locke had seen. 

    It was another plateau, and a great opening in the cliff behind it. And there were cultists. Just walking around in line, their faces hid by the shadows of their dark hoods. 

    The group of intruders had reached the plateau before there was any reaction from the fanatics. It seemed like they were a little more alert than those who had been by the tower in the dying world. 

 "The sinners!" a voice from below one of the hoods hissed, making all of the silent figures look up and with growls draw thin daggers from somewhere inside of their robes. 

 "Now this should get interesting!" Sabin growled. 

 "Remember the poison!" Relm snarled with her own dagger ready. 

    One of the first fanatics reached the sinners and almost managed to give Locke a cut in the arm before both the married man and Cyan ran their weapons through the madman. But that didn't make any of the other robed men reconsider. 

    For once Sabin wished that he was better with a sword. But he had never mastered that weapon. Now, however, a little distance from the foes hadn't been too bad. His short knuckledusters forced him to go far too close to his enemies than was healthy considering what kind of tricks they used. As three of the robed men leaped at him at the same time, he found himself with two cuts on his shoulder and three more on his arm before he had fended the attackers off. 

    His comment about it wasn't meant for the common knowledge. 

 "Sabin!" he heard Terra shout before he stumbled and fell. 

 "Don't loose focus!" Celes yelled as the green-haired woman was about to run over to the unconscious prince.   

    Terra hesitated for a second. But the cultists didn't care about Sabin anymore since he was down, and she had to realize that she'd only make things worse by blindly rushing to his side. So she clenched her teeth and kept fighting. 

    A robed figure rushed at her, and she raised her sword… 

    His weight and force threw her backwards, and she dropped her weapon. But the sword did not fall to the ground since it was stuck inside of the fanatic. He growled and sobbed in shock and pain, trying to get a grip of the weapon that had torn his clothes and flesh. But even as he tried to pull it out, he fell. He kicked desperately in agony a few times, as his blood floated out over the ground like a red ocean of death. 

    Terra just stared at him, paralyzed by the sight. She had killed so many corrupted monsters and humans, but now she felt as awful as she had done that first time, alone in the mines of Narshe. Then she hadn't remembered that she had killed many times before, it had just went well by instinct when she was attacked by a couple gigantic rats. 

    For a long while she had been watching their bodies in horror, shocked by what her hands had done, holding the short sword. 

    Scared, confused and alone. Just staring at death, which she had brought. 

    The cultist kicked one last time. A weak whisper escaped his lips, then he became still forevermore. 

 "Master Kefka…" 

    That was the last thing he ever said. He whispered the name of the madman that almost had destroyed his world completely. The madman that he was prepared to die for. The madman that he with pleasure and happiness would bring back to new bloodied and evil glory if he ever had had the power to do so. And now as he was dead, his hood seemed to loose it's shadow and show a face half hidden by a blond beard. But below the hair was a man maybe about thirty years old, his gray eyes staring at nothing. Just a few seconds ago he had just been a cultist, just a dark robe that had to be defeated. But now he was a dead man. A person. More of a person than he had been as he lived a short moment ago.   

    Terra felt a tear trickling down her cheek. She had to cry for this man that she had killed. He had worshipped complete evil; he had probably been mad too. But she had to cry for him. Pity him and his corrupted soul. 

    What carried a human being to such depths of madness? Prepared to kill and die for the glory of a madman, the glory of complete destruction? 

    Fear? Despair? 

    Terra didn't know, she didn't want to know…

    She had promised herself never to kill again as she had watched the world begin to recover. She had always hated it; even when she had fought the shadowy demons of Cyan's tormented mind she had silently wished that she hadn't been the one to end the lives of the dark creatures. Never would she fight because she enjoyed it or willingly on someone's order. No, only when she was forced into battle she would fight. From the first moment in Narshe's mines, she had hated it. Loathed what she was doing. 

    But it had to be done… 

    She wished that Sabin had been awake, and that the moment had been different. That he'd smile with one of those snorts and tell her to pull herself together. To stand up for a while longer. Or something else. Anything at all. Just as long as it was he who told her that. Like only he could. 

 'Look out!' Maduin shouted at her.  

    She ducked before any thought had had time to fly through her mind. Within the same heartbeat she spun around with one leg stretched and kicked the balance from another fanatic's control. He fell with a surprised shout, his daggers falling from his hands without harming anybody alive. One of them was left standing in the dead one's thigh, though. 

 "May the gods have mercy upon thy soul…!" Cyan muttered and ran his katana downwards. 

    Neither Terra nor the fanatic himself had time to realize what happened before the swordsman had fulfilled his mission. The man in the robe died immediately.

 "Art thee well, Terra?" Cyan gravely asked and kindly took her hand to help her stand up. 

 "Yeah, I'm fine… thanks," she answered, but could by no means fight back the bitterness. 

    How she detested the bloodshed… 

 "I knoweth that 'tis hard," the swordsman said, touching her shoulder with his hand, "but we must never give up."   

    Terra tiredly nodded. Then she suddenly fell, because Cyan had thrown her aside with a growl. Even though her world began to spin as her palms exploded with burning ache when hitting the ground, she heard him hiss of anger and pain. Then there was another gurgling and growling of a dying man. Terra whirled around, afraid that Cyan was the one loosing his life. 

    And he was falling, with his last katana run through the crag of yet another anonymous robe. The two men hit the ground. 

    With a half strangled scream Terra got up and caught her friend's shoulders. He was far too heavy; she had to hurriedly lower him to the ground to avoid dropping him.  

 "Aye, I am well…" he whispered and closed his eyes. 

    His fingers lost the hilt of his katana, and the cultist fell aside. 

    With great relief Terra noted that the swordsman only had a light cut in his right side, by the height of his elbow. He was only drugged, not dead. 

 "Terra and Cyan alright?" Gau howled and leaped over to the young woman's side. 

 "Yes, he just got a scratch," she calmed the once wild boy. 

 "Good, we've almost won now!" he growled. 

    Terra looked up in surprise just in time to see Setzer, Locke and Celes make a simultaneous attack. The gambler was throwing his cards at four cultists, confusing them with light cuts as the married couple rushed… 

    The half-esper looked away with a shudder, still hearing the awful sounds above the general shouting.  

 "This is it!" Strago growled and gave his last foe a hard knock in the back of the hood. 

    Then the old man hurried over to his granddaughter, who was examining Sabin's wounds together with Gogo.

    Ironically enough the two strongest warriors of them were the only ones that had been drugged. (OK, I'm aware about what most of us have to say about Cyan and "greatest warrior of Doma with the strength and courage of a hundred men", but he's at least _supposed_ to be one of the stronger, right? author's note) 

    Terra, knowing that Cyan would be alright, hurried over to the bigger crowd. 

 "How is he?" she worriedly asked. 

 "He'll be fine," Strago said with a calming smile. 

 "Yeah," Relm said, reaching for a pocket, "I think that this should do the trick…"

    She brought out a small, red glass-bottle and pulled out the cork by taking it between her teeth and dragging her hand and head in different directions. She looked up at her wake friends. 

 "And you better hold onto him, just in case," she said. 

 "Young lady, what is that?" Strago asked, suspicious. 

 "Oh, come on," the artist sighed, "don't you want to wake him up?"

 "Yes, but…"

 "Do you have any better ideas?"

    Strago sighed and placed his aged hands on Sabin's limp arm. Gogo took the other arm, and Terra grabbed the prince's shoulders, sitting on her knees behind his head. 

 "Okay, get ready…" Relm said and reached out to carefully open Sabin's mouth. 

    She held the bottle above his lips and slowly changed the angle of her hand to pour three drops of a thick, brown liquid with bright red spots onto her friend's tongue. Then she threw herself backwards. 

    Two seconds passed. Then suddenly Sabin's eyes flew open, and Gogo was helplessly thrown aside. Terra and Strago managed to keep the prince down even without the mimic, however. 

 "Argh!!" Sabin more or less roared, desperately scratching at his throat and lips with his free hand. 

 "Calm down, it's alright!" Terra shouted at him. 

    The prince tried to speak, but only a gurgling sound passed his lips. 

 "What did you do to him, Relm?!" Locke shouted as he, his wife and Setzer came hurrying to see what the commotion was all about. 

 "Here, give him this," the young girl calmly said and after digging around in her backpack handed Strago a flask of water. 

    Sabin ripped the flask from the old man's surprised grip and almost bit off the cork before his lips touched the liquid. Water flowed down his cheeks and neck as he fought to swallow all of it at once. As it was all gone he sat up straight, shivering but calmer. 

 "I think…" he gasped and coughed, "Relm, I think that that is supposed to be served with a lot of food to go with it."

 "It is," the artist grinned, "but grandpa won't let me cook…"

 "I'll try it in a proper way when this is all over," Sabin muttered with a tired smile, "apart from the explosions it tasted pretty well."

 "I just don't believe it…" Setzer smiled and shook his head as Relm dragged him, Locke, Celes and her grandpa towards her next victim; the warrior of Doma. 

 "I guess I missed most of the action," Sabin said and massaged his forehead, "what happened?"

    Terra bitterly looked around at the silent, lying robes. The cultists had been twice as many, but they hadn't been warriors. And their clothing wasn't suitable for battle; it made them clumsy. 

 "As usual," she muttered. 

    She noted that Gogo had gotten to his feet and quietly watched the thin line of grassland between the oceans in the south, which could be vaguely seen between two mountaintops. He looked like a statue. She couldn't see his eyes since he was mostly turned away, and anyhow it had always been hard to judge what he thought about. 

    Terra realized that he hardly had spoken at all since they left for the mountains. Ever since he had unveiled himself to his friends and they had accepted it, he had been opening up. Dropping his way of drawing back from them. He had begun to talk more often, being even more of a friend. 

    Terra hoped that he wouldn't end that now and turn back to the silent mimicker he used to be. Perhaps it had been unwise of him to pretend to be his brother. Maybe that had struck him harder than he had thought it would. She remembered how he had been shaking afterwards, and how pale his face had been. 

    But he didn't seem vulnerable now. Only silent and still. 

 "Gogo…?" Terra said, almost unable to speak. 

    He didn't react. 

 "Gogo, are you alright?" the half-esper said, managing to use her voice properly this time. 

    At first, it seemed as if he hadn't heard her. Then he looked around. 

 "Don't worry," was all he said with his muffled voice.

    After that he once again turned to the horizon. 

 "Hey."

    She almost startled when Sabin's hand softly landed on her shoulder. 

 "Are _you_ alright?" he asked, concerned.  

    Terra sighed, turning to him to avoid looking at all the bodies. 

 "Will it ever end?" she bitterly said, "I hate these battles…!" 

    He straightened up and carefully pulled her into a hug. 

 "I know, I know," he mumbled, calmingly stroking her hair, "but we'll go through these last ones, alright? These are the last battles. Next time someone else will have to take care of it, I promise. We'll go through this, together as always."

    Together…

    Alright. 

    Terra leaned her head against his chest, glad to hear him saying that. She had needed it. Now she couldn't understand how she had been able to keep fighting without this dear support before. 

    Well, when you have to you can do it… 

    She looked up at Sabin and managed to smile. 

 "Thanks a lot," she said and reached up to touch his lips with her own. 

 "Anytime, Terra," he smiled back and held her even tighter. 

    A half strangled scream announced that Cyan had awakened. What he said was nothing that was suitable in the vocabulary of a noble warrior. 

 "But hey, it works, right?" Relm innocently cut in. 

    It took Cyan a few moments to recover.   

 "Hey lovebirds," Locke called with a warm smile, "are you ready to enter the nest of the morons?" 

 "Well?" Sabin said in a low voice. 

    Terra smiled. 

 "I'm fine. Thank you," she answered. 

    They stood up. 

 "Then let's go," Setzer said, juggling with two of his yarns even as he walked towards the entrance of the cave. 

 "Wait, let Maduin check if it's safe!"

    Terra hurried past the others and stopped by the cliff beside the opening. 

 'It's your turn, father,' she thought. 

 'One moment,' he smiled, 'and my best wishes to you and Sabin, my girl.'

    She smiled carefully, feeling a short sensation of coldness as he left. 

 "Good thinking," Setzer said, a bit embarrassed over his lack of care. 

    All of them awaited the result. 

 'It's safe, at least as far as I reached,' Maduin reported, 'I'll be circling around and warn you for anything suspicious. Just don't walk too fast and everything will be fine.'

 'Alright.'

 "Follow me," she gravely said.

 "One second…"

    Setzer secured a knot around a dead bush's trunk a few feet from the entrance, pulled it a couple of times to check if it was safe and then nodded. 

 "Let's go," he said, and his friends silently agreed. 

    None of them noticed that the one of them dressed in bright yellow, green and red clothes threw one last concerned glance towards the arisen Serpent Trench before he followed the others into the darkness. 


	10. Trapped in the darkness

Chapter 9

Silent robes walked in a line back and forth in the stubborn sunlight on one of the southern plateaus.

    Even the sky was sinning. It should be dirtily red brown, and the sun should be almost unable to pass through the dark clouds. Like the master had decided. But now it was clear and blue, and the clouds were white and fluffy. Revolting against the master's will. 

    But it should be all changed, oh yes. Soon, when the greatest sinners were dead and their blood painted the master's altar, he would return and claim the world as his. Bringing true glory to the ones who believed in him and smash the worthless untrue, bringing them to their knees. 

    Soon. 

    The walking came to a halt when another robe emerged from the darkness of the cave. All dark hoods turned to that one. 

    This new robe was slightly different than the others. It had blood-red stripes on every edge of the cloth, and black, twisted embroideries were on its arms and back. 

 "The sinners entered our labyrinth one hour ago," the high priest announced with a smirk in his harsh voice, "strangely enough they have been able to avoid the traps so far. Should that continue, they might reach the temple hall within a few hours. In any case, we have preparations to do."

    The dark hoods muttered in cruel triumph. 

 "Tonight the blood will give the master strength," the high priest continued, "soon he will return! Come, we must prepare."

    He turned and went back into the darkness, and the lower trustful ones followed him. All walking in line, imitating his exact movements to avoid all the unseen triggers. Imitating exactly, mimicking every move. Perfectly. 

    But even though they served a great master, all of them must have lacked skill of counting. Otherwise they should have noticed that they seemed to be more numerous than usual. 

 "My yarns are out," Setzer muttered, "someone give me one…"

 "How long have we been down here?" Locke concernedly said as Celes handed the gambler another tight heap of thick thread. 

 "A couple of hours, I think," Strago said and dried his forehead with a handkerchief. 

    They weren't running out of torches nor yarn so far, but they had taken so many turns in the dusky world that none of them had any clue about where they were. Relm bravely tried to keep up drawing her map, but she had used up more paper than she ever had thought was possible. Even though she tried to keep it small. 

    The labyrinth was much bigger than Kefka's tower, and even though there weren't any giant monsters the size of the place was enough to make the warriors nervous.  

    The traps were also rather unpleasant.    

    They had been battling a few times, but less than expected. Maduin always warned them for ambushes, but there had only been four of those. And then they had only face small groups of cultists, who had been the ambushed ones thanks to the esper.

 "Stop," Terra said, for what felt like the thousand time. 

    Her friends breathlessly watched her as she sat down on one knee and picked a pebble from the ground. Then she slowly raised her hand, listening to her father's advices. 

    She threw the small stone, and it hit what looked like ordinary ground. 

    A perfectly hid net erupted from the smooth wall, swung over the path and then disappeared up into the darkness far above before anyone had time to react. 

 "Good grief…" Cyan muttered. 

 "They wouldn't have pulled me out of that one alive," Locke mumbled and rubbed his forehead, "I would have died of shock."

 "Wimp," Relm sighed, with no real spirit. 

    All the traps had one thing in common, which wasn't a surprise. They weren't meant to kill. There were small spikes with numbing or sleeping poison, nets and snares, but nothing that would leave anyone with any greater wounds. People were meant to get trapped in the labyrinth, not die there. 

    Terra stood up and began walking again. 

    Eight traps of random sort later they took a well-deserved rest before continuing. 

Edgar looked up with a frown as he heard the clinking of a key in a door. There seemed to be far too many people in robes outside of the cell… something was happening, and he wasn't sure if he liked it. 

 "The time approaches," one of the several robes standing by the door said, "you will come with us."

 "Your charming company calls for more proper guests," Edgar coldly said, "something found below a rock, for example."

    It was a lousy insult, but he was exhausted and weakened after the time in the cell. The food wasn't exactly made to give strength, and the circumstances provided little sleep. The only one who was able to sleep well was Shadow. But on the other hand, sleep wasn't really the proper word. Unconsciousness suited him better. 

    A couple of times a cultist had come into the cell and given the assassin something to drink from a small, dark bottle. Shadow was far too dizzy to provide any fight, and had just drunken even more of the drug that robed his senses. The fanatics wanted the clever man to stay in suspended mode, in case he had any tricks left. There had been nothing Edgar could do to help; out of reach. 

    Shadow was pulled to his insecure feet by two of the cultists, and one of the others freed the assassin's wrists from the chains. 

 "This is just wondr… won… wondrous…" Shadow slurred with dizzy bitterness as he was more or less dragged out of the cell.  

 "And what about her?" Edgar growled, nodding at Kanai as two robes grabbed his arms while his wrists were freed. 

 "You don't need to know that, sinner," one of the anonymous figures sneered. 

 "Like hell I don't!" the king of Figaro snarled and desperately tried to get his arms free. 

    Kanai's fear filled eyes was tearing his soul into pieces. She was paralyzed with fright, fearing both her own and her beloved's faith. 

 "The master himself will choose her doom," another robe impatiently snapped, "now come!" 

 "Edgar!" Kanai hoarsely whispered as he was violently forced away from her. 

     He almost broke his own neck trying to look around at her, trying to give her some calming gaze before the thick door was slammed shut between them. 

    Edgar clenched his teeth. He loved that woman, for the first time he really loved someone like that. Kefka had seen to that her first husband died, she had lost everything. And now he, her new love, had brought her into this hell pit just by being her company. If she died, it would be his fault. Damn! _Kanai_! 

    But no matter how Edgar struggled, he couldn't get free. Too weakened. 

 "Drink this, sinner."

 "Whaz…? Again?" Shadow slurred. 

 "Shadow, for all the gods' sake!" Edgar snarled as a green bottle was put by the assassin's cracked lips.   

    But the man in black helplessly swallowed whatever kind of liquid it was that was poured into his mouth. The robe with the drug moved back. 

    Shadow blinked and shook his head. 

 "Damn…" he muttered, harshly.  

    When he looked up at Edgar his eyes were focused and clear, but it seemed as if he still had little control of his body as he made a desperate attempt to break free. 

    An antidote, but only for his mind. 

    Edgar could only with sadness watch the horrid regret rise in the assassin's eyes as he finally to the fullest could realize what had happened. 

    Shadow said nothing, but his eyes were filled with burning rage. And he couldn't use his hands to live out his thirst for revenge. 

 "Kupo… Edgar, Shadow…" a weak, cute voice mumbled. 

    The king almost tiredly turned his head and found Mog hanging with his short arms in a fanatic's hands. But what was behind the cultist and the moogle made Edgar's throat thicken. 

 "My gods…" he whispered. 

    Even Shadow stared with disbelief and shock. 

    Five cultists dragged Umaro down the corridor. The yeti seemed even dizzier than Shadow had been, stumbling and not even trying to get loose. 

 "Come on," Mog yelped with tired anger, "he's not even six years old…"

    No one cared. 

    The four prisoners were brought down the corridor and through some other torch lit tunnels before reaching an enormous, well-lit cave.   

 "Damn it…" Shadow growled, the only one of the prisoners who had seen the cavern before. 

    Umaro was too drugged to even know what was happening, but Edgar and Mog stared with disgust and horror at the great statue of Kefka, the irons on the wall and, most detesting, the altar before the throne. 

 "You're mad, but you already know that, don't you?!" Edgar growled as he was pushed up against the wall by the irons by the statue's left side. 

    No answer. The fanatics silently closed the irons around his wrists, trapping him by the wall. 

 "Psychos!" Mog snarled. 

    He was far too short and was left hanging a few feet above the ground as he was put in place. 

    Shadow said nothing. Umaro neither, but that wasn't much of a surprise. The yeti almost had to crouch, since all the irons were at the same level. 

    Then the fanatics turned and walked away, back into the side tunnels by one of the long walls. 

 "What's happening?" Mog blankly asked, twisting as he in vain tried to get free. 

 "I'm afraid that the others are coming for us," Shadow bitterly said, "straight into the trap."

 "What?!" Edgar choked, "not that too! They can't!"

 "Wanna bet?" 

    Shadow gave a bitter chuckle; the first laugh Edgar ever had heard from him. 

 "If those madmen don't kill me, Strago will," the assassin muttered, "and I'd really prefer the old man…"  

    He sighed. 

 "But who asks for my opinion nowadays…"

    Edgar's eyes wandered over the empty floor. It was huge. Like the whole cave. There was room for hundreds of people on the clean swept ground. And beyond it was a great opening in the wall, much bigger than the ones by the long walls. There was darkness past the big entrance… for the moment. 

 "No, no! For all the gods' sake!" Edgar whispered as he saw a distant, flickering light staining the pure shadows.   

    But no matter his prays a green-haired woman stepped out of the duskiness, followed by a muscled man holding a torch. And behind Terra and Sabin were all of those people that Edgar knew as his dearest and closest friends; the ones he had been fighting Kefka with. The ones he trusted with his life. The ones he had to get away from the danger before it was too late. 

 "Get out of here! It's a trap!" he shouted. 

 "Edgar!?" Sabin called, throwing the torch aside. 

 "Stop! Leave immediately!" Shadow growled. 

 "Kupo! Do as they say!" Mog yelled, "go back, hurry!"

 "Go back?" Locke called, holding his sword in a 'I'm not going anywhere' style, "you're out of your minds. Have you any idea what we've gone through to get here?"

 "It's a bloody trap!" Edgar desperately shouted, "_get out of here_!"

 "Look out!" Terra yelled, "from behind!" 

    The ten intruders spun around as one person by the woman's call. 

 "Great…" Setzer hissed and backed as everyone else, holding his cards ready but saving them for the moment being. 

    In terror Edgar watched his friends move backwards into the huge cavern, followed by a group of at least fifty cultists armed with thin daggers. 

 "Well, there's only half a hundred of them," Sabin growled and balled his hands into fists decorated with clawed knuckle-dusters, "we've seen worse, haven't we?"

 "Have no read books?" Gau snarled, "never say that! Go bad!" 

    Nice to see an enlightened one, isn't it?

 "I fear our young friend speaketh the truth, my comrades!" Cyan growled.   

    From the several entrances in both the long walls robed figures hurried, all of them armed with two daggers each. 

 "In a circle!" Celes desperately commanded, just like everyone else knowing that it was pointless. 

    There were at least four hundred fanatics surrounding the ten warriors. 

    They formed a circle anyhow, holding their weapons stubbornly.  

 'Good powers!' Maduin moaned in horror, 'by the holy Phoenix, Terra, forgive me!' 

 'It's not your fault, father…' she bitterly thought, 'we walked into it…' 

 "There's no use fighting, sinners!" a hoarse voice called out. 

    It was three more cultists. But their robes had black embroideries and blood-red edges. They stepped out in front of the four prisoners, hiding their hands in the wide sleeves of their clothes. 

 "Oh, and who might you be?" Locke coldly said, pushing Relm and Gau into the center of the small, surrounded circle. 

 "We are the high priests of the great master," the right robe said, sneering, "now drop your weapons and succumb to the superior power of Kefka. Fighting is useless."

 "I think I've heard something similar a couple of times…" Celes hissed between clamped teeth.   

    Setzer threw a glance around his company. 

 "Gogo, do something for all the gods' sake!" the gambler harshly whispered. 

    But there was no answer. The mimicker didn't even hold his sword properly, as if he'd already given up. 

 "Gogo!" Relm growled, "please!" 

    Nothing. It was as if he wasn't really there. As if he didn't remember or understood that he was the last hope for his friends and himself. 

 "If you won't give up there's always the hard way, of course," the middle high priest said. 

    The robes drew closer, the small group of outnumbered heroes backed tighter together.

    Gogo was the first one to go. He was pushed down and dragged away; hardly even resisted. 

    His friends had no possibility to help him.

    The mimic's backpack was thrown aside, then his back hit the cliff and one of his guards closed the irons around his wrists.  

    They were only nine left.

 "Touch my wife and I'll make you wish you never saw a sharp piece of metal!" Locke growled and parried a pair of daggers. 

    Celes was by his side, with her own sword ready to protect him too. She managed three times. Then somebody got a grip of her arm and she disappeared into the ocean of dark robes. With a piercing scream of rage Locke blindly threw himself after her.

    The married couple put up a real fight, but there were four fanatics on each one of them to bring them to their place by the wall. 

    And so they were seven.

    It was a complete chaos. Terra tried to stick close to the others, but the circle was helplessly split as the cultists pushed on, without caring for the weapons the warriors fiercely insisted on using. Even if one enemy got a cut in his leg and stumbled, that didn't bring him away. It simply turned him into a pillow, pushed forward by his uncaring companions. 

 "Sabin!" Terra shouted and tried to see him somewhere among all the bodies surrounding her. 

    She could hardly breath, they were all trying to grab her from all directions, no escape, no possibility to defend… 

    All of a sudden she was out of it, stumbling forward between four of her enemies. They held her arms, too strong for her to break free. 

    She lost her breath as they threw her back into the wall after ripping off her backpack, lifted and pressed her hands against the cliff… 

    Coldness surrounded her wrists, and she was trapped. 

    Even though she knew there was no point she desperately tried to rip her arms free, not caring about that she made her wrists burn by scraping them against the harsh metal encircling them. 

    Six. 

    Strago was dragged out of the massive, growling crowd, the ones who had taken him captive surely wishing they had kept away. But as the four fanatics and the old man came past the silent high priests, Strago suddenly stood still. This surprised the cultists so much that they also stopped for a moment. 

    Relm's grandfather looked at Shadow, strangely calm. The unveiled assassin looked back, silent. 

 "Clyde Launreah," the old man said, "and why am I not surprised?"

 "Hello, Strago," Shadow muttered. 

 "I'll kill you when I've got my hands free," Strago said, strangely lazy.

 "I'm looking forward to it," the assassin replied, just as idly. 

    They had no time to continue their rather bizarre conversation since Strago was forced into place by his guards. 

    Five. 

    Setzer knew his cards were worthless since there was no place to throw. He dropped the metallic game pieces and pulled a dagger. One cultist fell before the gambler also got completely outnumbered. 

    Four. 

 "Sabin!" Terra called again, and she wasn't alone. 

 "You sons of rats…" the prince slurred as he was dragged/pushed/carried out of the commotion. 

    He was bleeding from several wounds on legs, arms and chest, blood ran from his nose and mouth. One eye was already swollen after a bad hit. He had been a hard catch. But now he was defeated too. 

    Three. 

    A couple of fanatics carried Relm to her irons, having to put up with both her foul language and knowledge of unfair battle (she was in that kind of age, you know). But after all, she was a young girl and they were grown men. No matter how good she was at pinching and scratching, it didn't help her much. 

    Two.   

    Cyan was in just as bad shape as Sabin, also more or less carried into the place that the priests of madness had chosen for him. But with that strength, it takes rough treatment to take you down. Sadly. 

    The brave man's right arm didn't look like it was meant to look. Cyan gritted his teeth in pain, very close to screaming, as the cultist mercilessly forced even his broken parts into the unpleasant position.

    One. 

    There seemed to be a bit of confusion going on. 

 "Where is the boy?" one of the high priests growled. 

    A bewildered mumbling was the answer. 

 "Where is he?" another one of the three great fools snapped, "find him!"

 "Grahhh!!" 

    With a roar Gau leaped up above the heads of the many fanatics, and before anyone had time to react he was on top of the middle high priest, tearing and biting the dark robe into pieces. The hood fell back, revealing a face that could have belonged to any man. A trader, a sailor, a farmer, anything. Short, not very thick blond hair, a normal sized nose, no scars after fights. But his eyes were as empty as the captured cultist's, the nothingness still visible through his surprised anger as he tried to defend himself against the raging, thin but strong fighter. Gau had the upper hand.  

    For about five seconds. 

    The young man still had cloth between his teeth as the attacked one's two companions managed to rip the attacker away from him.    

    As the last warrior was put in irons the high priest stood up and with his face pale with rage pulled his hood back into place to once again become an anonymous robe. Well, a very torn anonymous robe. 

    Terra's blood was beating the inside of her head, the roaring almost turning her deaf. Her wrists hurt, her father cried in rage inside of her mind. But above all the noises and feelings was the one, painful realization; they had lost. They were lost. In the hands of the Cult of Kefka. The followers had managed what their unbelievably powerful master had failed to; they had won.


	11. Fallen heroes, soulless mimic

Chapter 10

"You little scoundrel…!" the priest facing Gau's wrath hissed. 

    Then he cleared his throat and straightened up properly, regaining his composure after the warded attack. 

 "Well then, brothers," he smirked and raised his hands in triumph, "it seems that we are victorious!"

 "For the glory of the master!" the two other high priests called out. 

 "For the glory of the master!" the fanatics chanted. 

    They moved. From what had been a commotion of hundreds of bodies they moved into several lines on the floor, all turned at the high priests. As soon as everyone was in place, they sunk to their knees, completely silent.   

 "I'm so sorry, princess…" Locke mumbled through clenched teeth. 

 "No, no, no…" Celes whispered and shook her head. 

 "Sabin?" Terra said, hardly able to speak. 

    He slowly turned his head and looked at her past Gau and Cyan. Somehow he managed to smile a little, but it was a bitter smile. His attempt to make it comforting failed completely. 

 "Silence!" the left high priest snapped, "it is time to announce your crimes and sentences, sinners!"

 "Excuse me?" Mog snarled, "are you idiots playing or are you really this stupid?" 

 "Silence!" 

    Terra tried hard to keep from chewing on her lower lip. There was no escape now, they had no possibility to save themselves. If only she still could use magic! But she couldn't…

    Why didn't Gogo do something!? He was the only one who possibly could stop the madmen from killing all of those who had put an end to Kefka's tyranny. Why didn't he say something, why didn't he try to fool them?! Why didn't he imitate his brother and command someone to take his veil off, to free him and… and what? Walk off, get new lives? Anything! Gogo!

    Terra couldn't see the mimic; he was on the other side of the statue. And that was in the way of her sight. 

    The silent hoods followed the three high priests as they moved over the floor, closer to the line of prisoners on the statue's right side. 

 "Setzer Gabbiani," the priest who had been to the right of the middle one said, almost chanting, "master Kefka's empire made you rich, providing you with a good life. And you turned your back at the great master anyhow, ungrateful. Betrayed his trust."

 "Kefka never gave me a penny," Setzer snarled and continued with a rising level of shouting, "and even if he had I would have cut his bloody throat anyhow!"

 "Silence, sinner!" the middle priest growled.

    A hand hit the gambler's forehead, violently throwing the back of his head into the wall. He became quiet. Not unconscious, only knocked out for a moment. As the priests moved on he raised his head again and darkly glared at them. 

 "Locke Cole," the left priest coldly said, "you were a powerful man among the Returners, spying on the master's faithful troops and with childish tricks trying to confuse the warriors of the one true cause. And if that wasn't enough, you freed a convicted traitor who should have died long ago."

 "And wasn't it sweet?" Locke hissed, "I'd gladly do it a thousand times again! My only regret is that I never got to see your so called 'master's' face when he heard about that his prey had escaped!" 

 "Silence!" 

 "Locke!" Celes hoarsely whispered as her beloved husband received the same treatment as Setzer. 

 "And Celes Chere," the priests mercilessly went on, "you were…" 

 "Celes _Cole_, if you please," the retired magitek-knight coldly said, with hate making her voice tremble slightly, "if you haven't noticed, I am happily married to this spy here." 

    What did it really matter… it was just one last desperate fight to at least anger their executioners. 

 "You shall die by the name the master knew you by, Celes _Chere_," the middle priest snapped. 

 "You're disgusting, but perhaps I don't have to inform you about that?" the woman emotionlessly said. 

    The middle priest's hand covered her mouth, so hard that her cheeks turned white. She tried to throw her head aside, fighting to get free. But it was impossible. 

 "Let her go, you…!" Locke snarled before the right priest silenced him in the same way. 

 "Stop this madness!" 

    Cyan's voice was thick with pain, but his eyes glowed with rage. 

 "There be no point with these torments!" he growled, "Kefka is dead!" 

 "That is not for you to decide, warrior of the fallen Doma," the middle priest coldly said. 

    The swordsman was pale with rage, unable to speak of his disgust. 

 "Celes Chere," the high priest holding her head repeated, "you had the honor of fighting by the master's side, but you betrayed him. And then you didn't even have the pride of taking your rightful punishment."

    Even though they could speak again, both Celes and Locke were kept quiet by nothing more than the pure disbelief and loathing. 

    Sabin was next. He glared darkly at the three robes as well as he could with his one and half an eye. The one that had got hit was almost swollen over, he could hardly see with it. 

 "And prince Sabin," the middle priest growled, "you tried to stop the master on his quest to take down the kingdom of Doma. And apart from that, you teamed up with your treacherous brother after he had betrayed and even dared to make fun of the great one."

 "Well, sue me," Sabin growled with a husky voice.

    And he spat. 

    Hit the middle priest's already torn robe's chest. 

    Because of Sabin's fresh wounds, even a non hand-breaking hit hurt enough. The prince groaned and for a second he was about to loose his consciousness. Terra almost bit off her tongue. Her lips formed her all too newfound love's name, but the high priest's growling drowned the weak sound. 

 "You," he snarled, pointing at Sabin with a hand shaking with rage, "you will be second!" 

    He turned at the not very silent Gau. The young man was making sounds eerily similar to an angry animal, but it was impossible to decide which creature he was imitating to express his feelings. 

 "And you, wild child," the priest said through clenched teeth, "you who was free like the wind, you choose to follow the dirtiest paths of all; the one going against master Kefka. That choice condemned you as soon as you first thought about it. And apart from that, the fact that you dared to attack the master's finest servant will make you the first one to die."

    The assembled cultists muttered in low anger. Gau said nothing. 

    Cyan's eyes should really have been able to kill any man. And since the shadows of the hoods hid the priests' faces, one could assume that they risked to look away, not meeting the cold gaze. Because those eyes were not healthy to look into, not even if you were completely mad and corrupted. 

 "Cyan Garamonde, you…" the left one began. 

 "May I assume that I should with honor have died by thy master's poison, just like my liege, my beloved wife and son did?" Cyan coldly said. 

 "At least you should have surrendered to the master's troops instead of deepening your crimes by joining the Returners," the priest said, untouched by the enraged sarcasm. 

    The swordsman of Doma said naught, unable to produce any words suitable for his hatred.     

    Terra stared straight forward as the three priests went on to her. She already had a clue about what her "crimes" were. 

 "Terra Branford," the middle priest said, "you had the highest blessing of all. You served the great master personally. But then, what did you do? Turned your back at him, your treachery even worse than Celes Chere's."

    Bingo. 

 "Your death will…" the priest continued. 

 "I know, we all know," Terra snapped, "my death will be the most painful, master Kefka will see to it, yada, yada. But he won't come back, can't you understand that he's dead?! He's gone!"

    Her world exploded with pain as her face was hit. She thought she heard her friends call her name, as if from very far away. 

    When she next opened her eyes, the three priests had moved on to the other side of the statue. She couldn't see, but she could imagine Edgar's handsome face turn to stone. 

    His crimes weren't hard to guess either. 

 "King Edgar of Figaro, you created an alliance with master Kefka's empire, all the time working with the Returners behind the master's back. Then you even dared to throw him into the sand of your worthless country before fleeing like a coward." 

 "Such a clear view of the truth. Sadly, you don't see it at all, you idiots!" Edgar snarled, which was followed by a not too surprising sound of a hand hitting a face and a head hitting a stonewall. 

    Shadow coldly watched the three priests, silent even though his weak hands turned into fists as his sins were listed.

 "Shadow, the assassin," the right priest said, "you worked for the master's empire many times, took whatever task you found worth the money you was paid. Yet, that wasn't enough to secure your trust, and you began taking jobs for the Returners instead. Your choice of employment has forever condemned you."

    Shadow said nothing as the priests stood there. But when they moved on towards Mog, the assassin opened his mouth. 

 "Hold it."

    Maybe it was Shadow's calm voice, or perhaps they were just curious. Anyhow, the priests allowed him to continue. 

 "You might think that betraying Kefka was the worst thing I've ever done. Personally I believe that my darkest sin was to leave a woman alone when she would have needed me. I thought I would protect her by fleeing from those who were searching for me. But I left, I even took her dog with me on the run. I never even knew that she was pregnant. And when I found out, I ran away again. Maybe because I still felt hunted, or maybe because I was afraid to face her upset father."

    A bitter smile touched his lips for a moment, then it died as he went on. His voice was the only sound to be heard, strangely enough.  

 "And then she died. And I wasn't there. I didn't even find out until far too late. I'm still surprised that Salea's father didn't hunt me down and cut my blasted throat."

    Upon hearing the woman's name Relm became rigid all over, staring at the man in black. He bent his head and looked back at her, bitterly. 

 "I'm sorry, Relm," Shadow said, "I should have been there."

    Relm tried to say something, but the only thing escaping her lips was a trembling, weak sob. 

 "Clyde Launreah…" Strago lazily sighed. 

 "Be still!" the middle priest impatiently interrupted. 

    The prisoners clenched their jaws, knowing what approached for every single one of their friends that the mad priests passed. 

 "Look at this!" the middle said in disgust and waved at Mog and Umaro, "a moogle and a yeti, fighting the great master. Even the nature itself makes unwise choices, when that best should know that the stronger should rule all."

 "Psychos…" Mog growled again. 

    His growls were always charming. Too charming to be convincing. 

    He got hit anyway.  

    Umaro didn't even react when his "boss" groaned of pain in a weak voice. The yeti was still too drugged to know what was going on; apparently the madmen didn't want any problems with his strength.   

 "You sadistic monsters!" Relm screeched. 

    That was the final drop. 

 "Foul villains!" was the first thing Cyan shouted. 

 "Scum!" Terra snarled. 

    Those choices of words were the most tactful ones to be heard. If I would write down the other insults, this story would be rejected without further notice. 

    Umaro said nothing, but he was almost unconscious anyhow. Apart from him, Gogo was the only silent one of the prisoners. He stared at the floor with empty eyes, loose limbed like a zombie. It was pretty clear that he was the last ray of hope. And that had for some mysterious reason ceased to exist. 

    None of his friends could understand his behavior, and for the moment being none of them cared either. Their shock and horror had turned into mindless rage over what was happening out of their control. 

    Neither the priests nor the cultists moved or said anything as the screaming of desperate anger continued on for several minutes. It was as if they didn't hear or cared. 

    But finally there was a reaction. 

    A thin dagger cut through the air and stopped two inches from Strago's left eye. 

 "Enough!" the right priest who held the dagger growled, "be still or this old man will suffer even more before dying!"

 "You blasted…" Strago snarled but then clamped his teeth. 

    Reluctantly the others also gave up and fell silent. They were all going to be killed; they didn't want any of their friends to suffer more pain than there would be anyhow. 

    Gogo still hadn't moved a muscle. Relm who was just beside him looked at the quiet, clothed man. But the prayers for help in her eyes weren't even noted. 

 "Well then," the priest said and hid the dagger in his cloth again, "Strago Magus-Arrowny, you should have kept up the good work with bringing the espers to master Kefka in Thamasa. But no, you choose, like all of your foolish friends, to step up on the wrong path." 

    Cyan wasn't the only one whose eyes should be able to cut through iron. Maybe it was only wishful thinking, but it almost seemed as if the priests moved on a little faster than from the others. 

 "And you, Relm Arrowny," the left priest coldly said, "just imagine what heights you could have gained by offering master Kefka your services. Instead, you threw your young life away on the darkest of sins; fighting against the master."

    Relm clamped her teeth to stop another flood of insults. She was very pale; the fear and recent explosion of rage had begun to drain her strength. 

 "Leave her alone," Gogo suddenly said, "she's just a kid."

    Everyone of the prisoners except Umaro startled over suddenly hearing the muffled voice again. The mimic's eyes carried no emptiness, but a strange sadness, as he looked up and watched the three high priests. 

 "You speak of Kefka as your master all the time," he said, "it's truly sad…" 

 "Silence!" the middle priest snapped. 

    Gogo's head lowered again, tiredly. 

 "Very well, let's hear it," he muttered. 

    Those of his friends who could see the mimic stared helplessly at him. What was he doing? Giving up just like that? Why didn't he… didn't try to… wouldn't even… 

    Gogo!

    His behavior did not touch the priests. 

 "You're just a mysterious warrior whose background is unknown," the middle priest said, "but that is irrelevant when facing your sins. You fought on the Returners' side against the master, and therefore you are also guilty of the gravest crimes."

    Gogo made a strange sound, but with the veil almost strangling everything he said it was impossible to judge whether it was a sob or a bitter laugh. 

 "I didn't… tell them?!" Shadow whispered, exchanging an almost shocked glance with Edgar. 

 "I think you said they already knew where he was…" the king whispered back, just as bewildered. 

    The assassin smiled bitterly, almost in an insane way. 

 "Gods, what a laugh…" he hissed. 

    They don't even know? They don't know _that_!? 

    Terra almost began to laugh madly, the bizarre fact topping the despair and terror she experienced. It was simply too much, they knew almost everything except that their master had a twin brother!

 'Calm down, my girl,' Maduin sadly whispered to her. 

 'Why, father?' she replied, close to hysteria even inside of her mind, 'why would I calm down?!'

 'I don't know, Terra, I don't know… I'm so sorry for all this.' 

    Her father's sad voice nearly turned the mad laughter into tears instead. No, no, no, no… this can't be happening! Good gods…! 

    Somehow, she didn't know how, she managed to fight it back. 

    The three priests backed away from the silent Gogo. 

 "Well then," the middle one smirked, "you are all without doubt guilty of these dishonorable crimes. But cherish your sentence, sinners, because every drop of your blood will bring the master one step closer to his reclaiming of this world. And you, wild boy, have the honor of being the first one to give the great one your life force."

    Four cultists in the front row stood up and approached Gau. 

 "Hey, take me instead!" Strago growled, "he's just a boy!"

 "Kill me first, you bloodthirsty morons!" Sabin shouted. 

 "Let him be! Take me!"

 "Not him!"

    Nearly everyone of the prisoners was praying for mercy upon Gau. But of course neither the priests nor the four cultists cared about that. 

    Gau was freed from the irons, but was immediately grabbed by hands and feet instead. He snarled, kicked and screeched as they carried him towards the altar, all in vain. 

    His back hit the cold rock. 

    Umaro was too drugged, Gogo didn't move. All the other trapped heroes were screaming and shouting, desperately begging for the boy's life. 

    The chains clinked and new irons surrounded Gau's wrists. Even though he tried to kick like mad the chilly metal soon encircled his ankle joints too. 

    Gogo slowly raised his head. 

    The four cultists moved back into their places. The young man twisted like a crazed animal on the altar until the right and left priest grabbed his shoulders and legs to keep him in place. 

    The prisoners had almost fallen silent, watching in horror filled with anguish. 

    There was a growing concern in Gogo's eyes. 

 "Master Kefka, may you gain strength by this sacrifice…" the middle priest chanted and reached into his robe. 

    He brought out a thin dagger, its blade somehow darkened so that it was almost black. Gau kept struggling, his wild eyes nailed onto the dagger being held above his chest. 

 "Gogo!" Relm sobbed, "please, he's like a brother…!" 

    The concerned glistening in the mimic's eyes grew even more, but he didn't say anything. 

 "For the master!" the fanatics chanted in choir, as if in trance. 

 "For the master!" the priest shouted and raised his hands, aiming straight at Gau's throat. 

    Terra hardly forced her eyes shut with a trembling sob. It was too late for her young friend…

 "Stop!" 

    The shout cut through the thick air, cleaved the intense coldness of pure despair simply by being completely unexpected. 

    Among the kneeling cultists, one stood. 

    There was a surprised and irritated whispering among the assembled fanatics as they turned their deep hoods at the interrupting one. Some of them even stood up to see better.

    The high priest put his hands against his sides, clearly frustrated. 

 "Who are you, who dares to disturb the ceremony?" he demanded. 

    A hand grabbed the dark robe from within and pulled it as if the cultist was wrapping a cloak around himself. His other hand became visible from out of the long sleeve, the pointing finger waving in a familiar way. 

 "You should know me," a voice from beneath the hood said, smirking, "tsk, tsk, tsk…"  

    Then he laughed, a laughter that could cut through the skin, flesh and bone of anyone who was unlucky enough to hear it. 

    The hood was pushed backwards, revealing a thin, pale face and a mane of blond, well taken cared of hair. A madly red and green feather was peeking up through the hairdo, but how it was kept in place was a mystery. 

    When the dark robe fell off the man, another clothing was revealed; a crazed composition of bright yellow, green and red cloth. 

    Two eyes burning with madness gleamed as Kefka looked around with a sneer, his appearance lighting louder whispers among the fanatics.


	12. Duplicated again?

Chapter 11

"Master!?" someone gasped. 

    The effect was immediate. As soon as the word had made its way through the air all of the fanatics fell to their knees again, hitting the floor with their foreheads. 

    The middle priest dropped the dagger, his companions let go of the shivering, stunned Gau. All three of them stumbled up in front of the altar, also falling down to praise their master on their knees. 

    Terra knew that her jaw was close to the ground. And she knew that her friends felt the same. 

    As if forced, her head turned towards the other side of the statue, at the line of prisoners that she couldn't see. She wasn't the only one staring in that direction. 

    If Kefka is _there_, and Gogo is _there_… then…? 

    The math didn't really work out, and that was not very pretty.   

    Kefka began moving towards the altar, and the fanatics around him fell over each other in their attempts to move away and create a path for the great one. He stopped a few feet from the kneeling high priests, his eyes running over the line of staring prisoners. 

 "Well here we are, all of us…" he smirked, "and isn't it a _lovely_ occasion, my dear friends?" 

    He was too far away, Terra couldn't see his face properly. She hardly dared to hope.

 "Master, we…" the middle priest began, without looking up. 

 "Ah, yes!" Kefka screeched, "I have to thank you for all that you have managed, well done! Such delight for the eyes…" 

    He chuckled madly. 

 "All my sweet little enemies, the great warriors of the world, put up against the wall. Nice and fresh. You have truly saved me a lot of time, my trustful followers. I was looking for them myself, but it seems as if I won't have to bother anymore. Well stand up, my good men!"

    All the fanatics rushed to their feet.

 "Now then," Kefka continued, turning around to talk to the larger crowd, "I am certain that you are just itching with wishes of me reclaiming the world. And I will, if anyone doubted even for the shortest moment. I will rule again, with your help. You who have been true to me, only you shall have the glory of this world. The others… ah, you know my sayings already, don't you?"

    He chuckled again and looked around at the line of prisoners. 

 "And you look so very surprised, my pretties," he sneered, "did you really think that _you_ could destroy _me_? Oh, you always were the foolish ones… but as you can see I still live, and of all your so called heroism only this puny scar remains. Such a pity, isn't it? Pity, pity, pity…"

    His pointing finger went down his left cheek as he spoke about the old wound. Terra stared at him and almost sobbed of relief. 

 "Just look at that," Kefka sighed and rolled his eyes with a smirk, "they're so scared they can't even speak out their horror. Revenge and victory, you puny little warriors, can you feel the sweet, sweet taste of it?"     

    He went over to the altar, past the high priests who almost in trance threw themselves out of his way. As Kefka had his back at the priests and his trustful followers he dropped the hideous grimace of mad triumph for one short second, giving the still pale Gau a calming smile before turning back into the insane man. 

    The sound of a palm hitting stone echoed in the great cave until Kefka spoke again. 

 "And this! Marvelous, I love it! Ha! It's just what I had planned for this little group of heroes as soon as I'm done with them. Fascinating, isn't it?"

    He turned around again and tilted his head. 

 "Any questions? Go on, let's hear it!"

    There was a silence that lasted for a few seconds before the high priests realized that their opinions were called for. 

 "Had you something else in store for your enemies, master Kefka?" the middle priest asked, his voice trembling with the excitement of having the great one just a few feet away. 

 "Good one!" Kefka screeched. 

    Once more he chuckled madly before continuing to speak. 

 "Indeed, I have some use for them. Something even sweeter than having their blood painting my altar; I will let them work for us for a while." 

    He waved with his pointing finger, smirking. 

 "Ah, you see," he said, conspiratorial, "I'm still recovering from the assault which temporarily left me weak. Soon I will be at full strength, but in the mean time I planned to play a little game with the world before taking over it."

    Without turning around he threw out both his arms, making it unnecessarily clear that he spoke about those who were standing behind him. 

 "Now wouldn't that be simply charming? Most of these assembled friends have important professions in the eastern lands. All of them are well known throughout the world. To put them back in place, but under my mind control, that would be funny even if I don't need them for long. In just one month I will be completely recovered, and then they and the rest of the world's untrue will face my judgment. You have done well, my followers, truly."

    He sighed and rolled his eyes. 

 "However, I fear that you must leave this sacred ground for a while. Troops of Figaro and Doma have received orders to search out and wait by the entrances to these caves. They are on their way, and my powers are not enough to wipe them out for the time being. Therefore you must leave now, before it's too late."

    There was an angered whispering going through the lines of the fanatics, considering the fools who wanted to fight the great master. 

 "Where should we go then, master Kefka?" the right priest meekly asked.  

 "The troops are coming by ships from the west, therefore you can safely go by land," Kefka informed his followers, "you should hide in the forest to the south, that will be safe until I am ready to step up again."

    He nodded. 

 "Yes, hiding is disgraceful," he said, "but it won't be in vain, my trustful ones. In one month, when the day before full moon, you will go the edge of the Figaro desert, where I will meet you again. Then the world shall bow for me, and you will have the glory by my side. So you better not be late, understand?"

 "Of course, master," the middle priest said, almost breathless, "we will come to offer you our eternal trust!" 

 "Splendid, splendid," Kefka smirked, "now hurry up and get out of here before the fools of Figaro and Doma have disembarked. I'll take care of our friends here and then bring them to their posts."

 "Certainly, master!" a choir of breathless voices chanted.

    The high priests and fanatics scrambled to their feet. Kefka didn't move as the three leaders hurried down towards the big opening leading to the labyrinth. He still imitated a statue as the fanatics began to walk in two lines after the high priests, mimicking their way into the darkness since that was required to avoid the awaiting traps. Even though it took quite a few minutes before the last robed back had gotten out of sight, Kefka kept still. But when all the fanatics were gone, he raised his right hand, not turning around yet. 

 "Wait," he said in a much lower voice than the one he had used in the recent moments. 

    Nobody said a word. The silence lasted for a minute, then one more. Then Kefka finally moved, as none of his followers had come back to check on what was happening. 

    He turned around, his gaze running over the line of prisoners. Then he raised his hand again and hit his own face with it. 

 "God, they bought it!" he groaned, "I can't believe it, they _actually bought it_!" 

    His hand massaged his cheeks before falling, to the sound of relieved gasps. 

 "Thank the heavens for thee, my comrade!" Cyan sighed, smiling broadly. 

 "I don't know if I'll applaud your theater or strangle you for waiting until the last second, when I get my hands free," Relm grinned. 

 "Thank you," Gau sincerely said. 

    Gogo took a deep breath and released it very slowly. Then he reached into his cloak and took out a small dirk. 

 "Now let's get you off that disgusting thing, my young friend," he said. 

    He carefully took Gau's hand and began working on the lock. 

 "You almost got me worried before making your move," the Gogo by the wall said, with a smile in his voice. 

    The other prisoners (apart from Umaro) blinked and turned their heads in that direction. Right. There's two of him. Almost forgot. 

    So, umm…?   

    Gogo by the altar even smiled a bit bitterly. 

 "I'm sorry," he said, "but there was the dramatic thing to convince them and I really needed something to force me into action. There."

    He bent up the iron around Gau's left wrist and went around the rock to reach the other one properly. 

 "This might sound stupid," Mog said, "but have you duplicated _again_?" 

 "No, no…" Gogo absentmindedly said, concentrating on the lock, "just give me one moment." 

    He freed Gau's other wrist and then went to work on the two last chains. 

    As the wild boy finally was free he held onto Gogo's arm when he stepped down from the altar. He stood for a couple of seconds, then his knees bent and he almost fell to the floor. His face was almost as gray as ashes. 

 "It's just the shock," Gogo calmingly said, "sit here for a while and you'll be fine."

    Gau weakly nodded. 

    Lying chained on a cold altar with a madman standing with a dagger above your chest leaves no one unaffected. 

    While Gau sat with his back heavily against the altar's side, Gogo went over the floor. 

 "I hope you enjoyed today's show, folks," he said with a small, ironic smile, "because personally I hated it. But since we're at it, I'd like to thank our sponsor…"

    He reached forward and removed the veil from the trapped Gogo's face. 

 "Our very own; Cid the scientist."

 "Grandpa!?" Celes choked from her place on the other side of the statue. 

 "The good part of being me is that almost anyone can dress up like me," Gogo said, "the bad part is that he might need to know a lot about all of us."

 "Sorry to keep you uninformed," Cid grinned to the astounded people, "but we needed to have you look shocked at Kefka's appearance, right?" 

    A few glances were exchanged among the prisoners. 

 "I think that I'm speaking for all of us when I say this," Sabin slowly said, "I should really hurt both of you for the half heart-attack." 

  "Ah," Gogo said and walked down the line of imprisoned friends, "let's save that for later, alright?"

    He passed the statue and reached up to place his dirk in Locke's hand. 

 "Here, you'll be better off with it than me."

 "Are you alright?" Locke asked as he began to use the dirk, pretty well considering the circumstances. 

    Gogo sighed and shook his head. 

 "I really, really need to sit down…" he said. 

    As Locke got his right hand free, Gogo sat down by Gau's side. His face had begun to turn even paler than the young man's had been, and his hands were shaking. 

    Gau patted his friend's shoulder, apparently feeling much better than before. 

 "Just shock," the young man calmingly said, "sit here and be alright."

    Gogo managed to smile a bit as his friend mimicked him. 

    Locke hissed triumphantly as he could remove his other hand from its bounds. He turned to Celes.

 "Look, not to be rude," Edgar called, hearing the married man's movements, "but my fiancée is sitting in a cell all alone and scared half to death!"

 "Yes, I understand," Locke absentmindedly said, "but even though good ol' Gogo sent the morons to the outside you better not go alone. Just give me a second."

    To be honest he couldn't really care about Edgar and his lady for the moment being. It was truly egoistic, but Locke could only think about his own love. Everything else came in second place. 

    Celes threw her arms around his neck as soon as she was free, Locke dropped the dirk and held her tightly as they kissed each other almost feverishly, whispering promises of never getting into anything more like this again. Those who could see them watched in warm silence as the lovers kept holding on for a moment. Then Locke slowly released Celes and picked up the dirk again, hurrying over to Setzer as Celes ran towards the pile of backpacks. 

 "I don't want Edgar to rush off alone," the treasure hunter told the gambler, "and I guess you and Mog are the only ones who are unoccupied with other things for the moment being."

    Setzer nodded with a small smile. Locke got him free quickly, and the two men went over to the anxious king together. Meanwhile, Celes hurried over the floor with a backpack in her left hand and a bottle of healing potion in the other. 

 "Here, Gau," she said and threw the bottle into the young man's hands, "give Gogo something to drink."

 'Are you still there, father?' Terra thought, wary of his long silence. 

    She heard a deep breath. Then Maduin spoke to her again.     

 'Yes. Quite frankly, Gogo shocked me pretty badly…'

 'You don't say…'

 "Hey, calm down!" Setzer called as Edgar almost pushed Locke off balance after being freed. 

    The king didn't listen. He ran into one of the tunnels, and the gambler ran after him with a smiled sigh. 

    Celes put a bottle of healing potion by Cyan's lips while Locke took on Cid. 

 "This should help off the pain," the blond woman calmingly said, "we'll take care of your arm as soon as it has begun to work, alright?"

 "I thank thee…" Cyan muttered and gratefully drank the curing drug. 

    The man with the dirk hesitantly watched the line of prisoners. Cid was on his way to check on Gogo's state. 

 "Well…" Locke said, "which one of you members of the newfound family should I free first?"

 "Relm!" Shadow and Strago said simultaneously. (Hmm, that's a lot of S…)

 "Well, okay."

    Gau was helping Gogo to hold the bottle that Celes had given them. The mimic was swallowing small parts of the liquid, slightly convulsively. 

 "You really did well," Cid said, calming, "if you hadn't done it we would have been I grave danger, as you assumed."

 "To be honest I was on the brink of snapping too, all the time," Gogo muttered. 

    He leaned back, and Gau lowered the bottle.  

 "I had been planning what I should say," the mimic said with a smile drained of any happiness, "but most of it just flew away. I improvised half the time."

    Cid heavily sat down, chuckling and shaking his head at that bizarre fact. 

    He looked around as he noted that both his tired friends were looking in the same direction. 

    Relm stood silent before her father. Locke stood beside Shadow, not to be in the way as he worked on the unveiled assassin's irons. Shadow said nothing. 

    As he was released Locke had to help him sit down, otherwise the man in black would have fallen. The drug still kept his body in a weakened state. Relm sat down in front of the assassin and Locke hurried on to her grandpa. 

    Father and daughter silently watched each other. Mog wished that he hadn't been so close, it felt as if he was intruding. But they ignored him, anyhow. 

 "I'm sorry," Shadow finally said. 

    Relm's gaze fell to the floor. She couldn't look at him, and she couldn't even explain to herself why that was. 

    Gau wanted to help her, but felt that he wasn't called for. So he kept still, silently watching his "sister" and her father. 

 "Are you mad at me?" Shadow asked, his voice making it clear that he wouldn't blame her the slightest. 

    Relm didn't move at first. Then she slowly shook her head, without looking up. 

 "No…" she whispered, rather weakly.  

    Then she suddenly threw herself forward, swung her arms around his neck and pressed herself against his chest. Without saying a word, she just held onto him. 

    Slowly Shadow raised his weakened arms and placed them around his daughter. As Strago sat down beside him and put his aged hand on Relm's back the two men exchanged a careful glance and then nodded. 

 "But get a real job, for heaven's sake, Clyde!" Strago whispered from the corner of his lips as Shadow looked down at Relm's hair again. 

    The man in black chuckled exhaustedly with a nod, and Shadow was no more.

 "How are we going to get Umaro out of here?" Celes concernedly pointed out. 

 "Relm's hot sauce might help him too," Sabin grinned, swallowing the potion the blond female warrior held by his lips, "it'll take him a while to recover, but it should do the trick."

 "You're just plain cruel, Sabin," Terra tenderly said, "he's a yeti, you know."

 "Aww, it'll only make him stronger…" 

"Kanai!" 

    Her head snapped up as she heard the voice calling her name. 

 "Edgar!?" she tried to shout, but her voice was too hoarse to take it. 

    All that left her lips was a whisper. 

    She heard the sound of running feet, and then she saw his face in the small opening in the door. A few drops of sweat trailed paths in his dirty face, but it didn't matter. His eyes were glowing with relief as he saw her. He was alive. 

    Kanai's heart danced away, skipping a few beats of the almost shocked joy of seeing her lover again. 

 "I'm alright, we got help, everything will be fine," he said, all the things he wanted to tell her falling over themselves. 

    His eyes went aside for a moment, as he was talking with someone who was with him. 

 "Can you open the door?" he asked. 

 "Hey, stress out…" another man's voice chuckled, "and please move aside for a second so that I can see what I'm doing." 

    Kanai couldn't help chewing on her lower lip as the sound of something small and metallic in a lock could be heard. Then there suddenly was a thump, as if somebody had thrown himself aside, landing on the floor. 

 "There!" the other man said with a laugh. 

    The door swung open and Edgar rushed in, caught Kanai in a tight embrace and kissed her fully on the mouth. A longing kiss with the explosion of relief, and the passion he had held back until now. It was so intense that she was completely stunned at first, the heat his lips lit inside of her roaring around her very soul, paralyzing her for a moment. 

    And when she finally found fair control of her body again, the chains made it impossible for her to wrap her arms around him and pull him even closer than he already was. It was true torture. 

 "It'll be alright, we're free, my love…" Edgar whispered against her burning lips. 

    Kanai tried to whisper his name again, but her words just turned into an exhausted sob of relief. Edgar moved back a little and examined her face, all the whirling feelings and things he wanted to tell her twisting in a confused mess inside of his eyes. 

 "Are you alright, love?" he asked. 

 "Yes, Edgar," she whispered, tears escaping her eyes as she finally could drop all the horrible tension she had kept within for several days, "thank God you're alright…"  

    Edgar smiled tenderly and sat down on the cot beside her, holding her as tightly as he dared without breaking something inside of her. When he was beside Kanai instead of in front, at least she could reach up to caress his cheeks with her hands. 

 "I was so worried about you, love," she mumbled, kissing him back. 

 "Excuse me," the other man's voice said, rather embarrassed, "I hate to break the moment, but this place isn't suitable for romance. One moment, please."

    A hand carefully encircled Kanai's right forearm, and a dirk was placed in the lock of the iron keeping her bound. She looked at the helper, finding an eerily pale man with a few scars on the sides of his face. He was dressed in a long, deeply brown jacket and his hair was almost shining in light gray. But he seemed far too young to have gray hair…

    When he looked up with a calming smile Kanai noted that the irises of his eyes were slightly red; she realized that he was albino. 

 "This is Setzer Gabbiani," Edgar smiled, "Setzer, lady Kanai of Jidoor, the future queen of Figaro. I don't believe you've met."

 "No, but it's an honor to finally meet the only woman in this world who can smash our great Casanova king to his knees," Setzer grinned and winked with one eye. 

 "You're also one of the Warriors, aren't you?" Kanai said with a smile, "I'm glad to meet you, Sir."

 "My pleasure. There, one down, one to go…"

    Edgar took Kanai's soar wrist between his hands and carefully massaged it to get the feeling back to her hand. 

 "How did you get out of there?" Kanai wondered, leaning at Edgar, "who helped you?" 

 "Kefka himself, who else?" Setzer chuckled. 

    Kanai startled and stared at him. Edgar cleared his throat. 

 "Ah, there's something that none of us are fond to talk about…" he said, a bit sheepishly, "you see we have this mysterious man, Gogo, in the troop… I guess you know that already."

    The woman of the three nodded, frowning. 

 "Well," Edgar said and cleared his throat again, "this might take a while, but he's Kefka's twin brother."

    Kanai blinked. Setzer stood up with a sigh and bent the last iron open. 

 "If you care for my opinion I think that you should tell her all that someplace more cozy, Edgar. Let's check if there's any more prisoners and then get out of here."

 "Good idea," Edgar nodded and stood up, helping his love to her feet. 

    They went down the tunnel and looked into the few cells. No one. Every small, dirty room was empty. 

 "Well, I guess we were the only guests they expected," Edgar said as they went back towards the big cave. 

 "Ah, yes…" Setzer absentmindedly said. 

    He tried not to walk too close and disturb the king and his lady. The way that Kanai and Edgar resolutely held their arms around each other even as they walked was surely showing of _very_ strong care, but for Setzer who was outside of it and therefore easily felt a bit intruding it was plain embarrassing. 

    As they reached the cavern where their friends dwelled, they found Cyan lying on the floor with Locke and Sabin holding on to his shoulders and left arm. Celes stood ready with bandages and a piece of Gogo's cloak to use as a sling. Strago was just sitting down on his knees by the swordsman's broken arm. 

 "Wait, you morons, that'll never do!" Relm exclaimed, "you need something to support his arm!" 

 "Yes, but we don't have anything to…" Celes began, but the young girl left her father and rushed over to the pile of backpacks.  

    After a few moments of searching she found her own pack, and opened it. 

 "I always take them with me…" she muttered as she dug around in the sack, "just in case. Ah!"

    Triumphantly she brought out three of her brushes, all of them blessed with rather long, fairly thick shafts. She hurriedly gave her tools to Celes and then backed off again, returning to Clyde. 

    By now everyone was free, and all of the friends were grimly waiting for Strago to pull Cyan's arm into place. When such things are on the roll, it's hard to concentrate on other stuff. 

 "Ready?" the old man gravely asked. 

    Cyan nodded, clenching his teeth around another, smaller piece of Gogo's cloak. Indeed, the mimic happily sacrificed his clothing for his friends… 

 "One, two, three!" Strago hissed, holding Cyan's arm. 

    He pulled. The swordsman's eyes flew up in pain, but the cloth in his mouth helped him to keep from screaming. Celes hurriedly sat down, and Locke held Relm's brushes against the warrior of Doma's upper arm while the blond woman began to wrap up the damage. Meanwhile, Sabin removed the cloth from Cyan's mouth. 

    When Celes finally was done and had placed her friend's arm in the sling he could carefully sit up. Sabin was ready with another bottle of healing potion to help off the pain. 

 "Are you alright?" the muscled, blond man asked as he held the bottle by Cyan's lips. 

 "Yes, I thank thee…" the swordsman muttered. 

    Terra touched Sabin's shoulder when there was no more potion left. The prince looked up and turned his head as the woman with green hair with a warm smile pointed. 

 "Oh, right," Sabin said and stood up with a grin, "hey bro', you almost made me crack up totally when you disappeared!"

    Edgar chuckled and squeezed Kanai's shoulders. 

 "Sorry for that," the king said, "I'll try to avoid getting kidnapped again."

 "You better."

    Edgar and Kanai met Sabin and Terra halfway over the floor. 

 "You know what," the prince said with a twitching smile, "there's something I want to tell you, but maybe you better sit down."

    The king raised his eyebrows. 

 "What have you done now?" he suspiciously asked. 

    Sabin chuckled and took Kanai's hand. 

 "Lovely to see you again, my lady," he said and turned his head at Terra with a warm smile, "this is Terra Branford, our group's finest warrior and my fiancée."

 "Your _what_?!" pretty much everyone (except the poor drugged yeti, of course) exclaimed. 

    Terra was rather speechless herself as Sabin with a laugh lifted her from the floor by her waist and then pulled her into a hug. 

 "Well?" he whispered in her ear, smiling with a grain of mischief. 

 'Go on, say it!' Maduin warmly laughed. 

    The half-esper wrapped her arms around Sabin's neck and kissed him with a dancing laughter. 

 "But ask me properly someplace more romantic, okay?" she said, smiling tenderly. 

 "Good grief…" Edgar muttered. 

    But then he smiled and shook his head. 

 "May I suggest that you have the double-wedding _after_ having the army of Figaro arresting my followers?" Gogo said with a small smile. 

    The waves upon waves of happiness and relief running through the room were apparently even able to wash off some of the emotional exhaust the mimic suffered from. 

    As Kanai saw him she turned tense from top to bottom, even though she had been warned completely shocked to see a living Kefka. 

 "Only his twin," Edgar calmingly repeated as he sensed her nervousness, "he's on our side."

    Gogo managed to stand up and nodded at the woman by Edgar's side. 

 "Quite right, my lady," he tiredly said, "me and my brother hadn't the best relationship during those last years of his life."   

    He rubbed his face with his right hand. 

 "Are you ready to leave?" he asked the world in general, "I'd like to get out of here." 

 "Maybe we should just check the other tunnels," Setzer suggested, "to make sure there aren't anyone left that needs help getting out." 

 "One moment, please…" Relm said, nervously. 

    Sabin looked in her way. Then he gave a shout. 

 "Duck, everyone! And cover your ears!"

 "Say 'ahh'!" Mog demanded. 

 "Urrhhh…?" Umaro growled. 

    Relm swung her red bottle in front of his face. Most of the thick liquid hit the yeti's fur, but a big drop disappeared between the fierce jaws. Relm grabbed Mog's paw and ran for both their lives. 

    One second passed. 

    Then the whole cave, probably the entire mountain trembled.  

 "_Grahh_!!"

    Umaro's giant fists disappeared deep into the floor several times, causing small earthquakes. 

    It took him a few minutes to calm down, and then he almost collapsed due to all the power he had used in his desperate rage. 

 "Kupo, you okay now, big fella'?" Mog asked. 

 "Gruhh, boss…" 

 "That's a 'yes'," the moogle concluded, "now let's check the tunnels and then blast this place!"

    There were three smaller tunnels, apart from the one with the cells and the big one leading to the labyrinth. Celes, Locke and Strago took the one beside the prisons. Sabin, Terra and Mog picked the right one on the other side of the cave, while Gau, Setzer and Relm went into the left. 

    The few people left in the big cavern patiently awaited. 

    It took some minutes before the three groups returned, almost simultaneously. 

 "Only small sleeping chambers," Celes reported. 

 "The same here," Sabin called as he stepped out in the larger space. 

 "And they aren't exactly too fond of furniture," Relm grimaced, "let's just get out of here."

    Locke and Strago helped Clyde to his feet, and supported his stumbling walk. The drug holding on to his body wouldn't be removed by something even stronger than Tabasco. 

    All of the people in the cave walked towards the exit. But Gogo suddenly stopped. 

 "Wait a moment," he said and made everyone turn around, "there's something I have to do."

    He walked back to the other side of the altar, grabbed the back of the throne standing there and lifted it, seemingly without much resistance from weight. 

    He didn't say a word, didn't scream or shout. And that was really creepy. 

    Pieces of wood flew in all directions as the luxurious chair hit the altar. Gogo threw the remains on the floor and took a deep breath. 

 "There," he calmly said, "now I feel much better."

    Everyone was silent at first. Then Celes slowly began to clap her hands. One by one the others joined in. 

    Gogo even smiled as he passed the floor, accompanied by the applause.  

 "Thank you very much," he said and bowed shortly. 

    With a smile Terra lifted the piece of yarn lying dropped on the floor and began following it back. Her friends walked behind her, Sabin was by her side with his arm around her shoulders. 

    Since the yarn showed the way and all the traps along that path were already disarmed, it took the group only about one and half an hour to reach the outside. 

    There wasn't a single member of the group who didn't breath deeply and relieved as they felt the sun and wind on their faces. The sun shone from a clear sky, and even though the winds were a bit chilly on this height it was wondrous. 

    The Falcon patiently awaited the tired but happy people as they reached the plains of the valley.

 "Oh yeah," Cid said and reached into the crazed robes he wore, "here, Setzer."

    It was a black, wired cable. Maybe a bit dirty, but otherwise it was in good shape. 

 "Correction," the scientist said and winked with one eye, "the cables you need in the Falcon's engines can not only be found in Narshe, but also in the machinery of Figaro. And they get pretty worn and are thrown away, but I found one and replaced yours in the airship."

 "Why you…" Setzer sighed, but took the cable with a smile.  

 "I had to win any time possible," Gogo said with a shrug of his shoulders, "a chocobo can't beat the Falcon even if I wasn't going as far as you."

 "Hey, how did you do it, Gogo?" Relm asked as they walked through the high grass, "and where in the whole world did you get your clothes?" 

 "Getting in was easy," the mimic smiled, "I figured the cultist we caught didn't need his holy robe down in the prison, so that costume wasn't hard to get. Then I simply dressed up, went up into the mountains and followed a group of fanatics as they went into their lair. Now there everything almost fell, because I came just in time before they entered the labyrinth."

    He snorted and shook his head. 

 "But the hardest part was to make me look like my brother again," he said with a chuckle. 

 "You wouldn't believe how hard it was to cut that mane of a hair he had!" Cid sighed, "he hadn't cared much about it for thirteen years, you know." 

 "Tsk, tsk, tsk…" Relm sighed and shook her head, making everyone chuckle. 

 "And regarding this," Gogo said and grabbed his right, wide sleeve, "I owe you a curtain, Edgar."

 "A curtain?!" the king choked. 

 "Yes."

 "So you mean," Edgar slowly said, "that you fooled I don't know how many madmen that you was their master, almost scared me and all my comrades here half to death and saved the day dressed in something usually hanging before windows of my castle?"

 "Right."

    Gogo reached out and picked the feather from his head. On close up, it looked pretty strange… 

 "And a piece of paper painted red." 

 "I would say you're crazy if I didn't think that it would really hurt you," Sabin grinned. 

 "Ah," the mimic smiled, "that's alright. I kept telling myself that twice every fifth second through the whole show." 

    They went onboard the Falcon and Setzer replaced the damaged cable before starting the engine. Then he simply pushed "auto-pilot", going north. The airship got to fly without anyone driving it, since neither Setzer nor anyone else had the nerve to do something that complicated for the moment. Everyone was completely caught up in the task of silently staring at nothing, maybe holding on to someone dear and cherish true relief. 

    But after half an hour the albino man managed to pull himself together and went up to change the course slightly, continuing north northwest towards Figaro castle. Taking that route seemed safer, since Setzer didn't feel like allowing the sight of his ship awaken doubts in the many cultists' dark hearts. 


	13. Epilogue

Epilogue

One month later, the day after full moon. 

    Gogo looked up from the book he was reading when there was a knock on the door. 

 "Come in," he said. 

    Cyan showed up in the door, and behind him was Setzer. 

 "Well?" the mimic asked and stood up, "did it work?" 

    The gambler and the swordsman nodded. 

 "I came straight from Figaro," Setzer reported, "the cult went right into your trap."

    He pursed his mouth, and Gogo understood. 

 "How many killed themselves?" the mimic tiredly asked. 

 "Many," Setzer grimly said, "but a lot got caught too. Edgar hopes that at least a few will regain their sanity if they just get out of the large group, so he's been placing them alone in every cell available in the castle. Doma and South Figaro will also take some. At least they'll never get a chance to bother us again."

 "I do hope so," Gogo said with a bitter smile, "because even if they could fall for it again I fear that I'll turn mad too if I ever put up that show again."

    He shrugged his shoulders. 

 "So, any brighter news?" he asked. 

    Both the two other men's grave faces cracked up with broad smiles. 

 "Indeed," Cyan said, and Setzer sent a small card dashing through the air into the elbow rest of Gogo's armchair. 

    The mimic took the card and looked at it. 

 "My, my, my…" he mumbled, smiling, "so there really _will_ be a double wedding…"

    He stood up. 

 "Then let's go, my friends. Can't have those twins and their brides waiting for their guests, now can we?" 

 "Personally I believe they don't give a straw about if we show up or not," Setzer grinned as they walked through the corridor to find Cid, "they're about to go totally crazy for each other. They'll get married even if none of us make it in time."

 "Then we better hurry," Cyan smiled, "I would never get over the shame of not being present at Sir Sabin and king Edgar's weddings…"

 "Go figure…" Gogo chuckled, "a pity I don't have any more proper clothes."

 "We have curtains in this castle too," the swordsman of the three pointed out with a rare laugh. 

 "Don't push me, my friend."

    Half an hour later the Falcon rose to the skies above Doma, and began soaring southwards. 

    The sun shone through the few clouds on the sky and reflected in the propellers of the airship. It also shone on the silent, empty tower in the east and on the abandoned plains and bare plateaus where the madmen had been walking not to long ago. The only creatures now dwelling around there were birds, building their nests in the rooms of the tower and close to the caves leading into the labyrinth. But no creature was foolish enough to enter the darkness, by instincts knowing that it wasn't safe. 

    The worshippers were gone, and in the future only the dark tower rising in the valley would remind the people of the worlds of the evil that once had been dwelling above them.

    In a future of peace. 

The end  

I'm working on a spin-off to these two fics, which I'll start posting soon hopefully. I'm currently working on four fics at once, but two of them will soon be done so it's alright. 

    Now for a teaser… the spin-off takes place within the game and will be slightly AU, as it's based on what could have happened if Kefka/Kerr had not gone mad on the floating continent. And if Gogo had a chance to reach out to his brother… *evil laugh* Be afraid.

    The title is Alternate fates.


End file.
